Transformers Shadowplay Era: That's What Family's For
by DodgeStreaker
Summary: Shockwave already has a lot on his hands being a Senator and his academy students, his family is always there for him so he returns the favor, though they do tend to somewhat get in a lot of trouble - Disclaimer: Transformers MTMTE (c) Hasbro/IDW - Note: Well since its not exactly taking place in the MTMTE time period just in the past its gonna have a different title c:
1. Pilot

_** -Chapter 1-**_

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** A/N: Well the Shadowplay Era can be qualified as a part of MTMTE, right? But I thought to give it a different name so yeah. Senator Shockwave, Windcharger and Skids :D And if you haven't noticed, yes Skids is my favorite character ha ha, I'll probably spam him with lots of love**

** Edit: I forgot to give you guys the important units of time and length and those will be listed at the end of this chapter :)**

* * *

He was completely overcooked for one day, that was for sure as he carefully slipped into his office that was at his academy. The Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology. Its true purpose was to be a safe haven for all the Outliers he was able to recruit and protect, taking them in to hone their abilities to the fullest while they were able to study for whatever occupation that they wished to be granted to, but to him, it was also his safe haven away from the Senate. All his students he had learned to know them all on a personal side, they all got together and hung out, they were just like normal mechs just with a little extra special to them, they were his family, a family he'd gladly drop his Senator status and title just especially for them. He'd drop anything for them, and because of that he wished for them not to be formally addressing him, to him, that was a strange thought, plus he was secretly against Functionism, if he wasn't why could he have bothered to create this for them? It was the sole purpose that he had funded and built the academy in the first place.

Slumping down into the comfy soft padded chair at his desk he drew in a sharp vent, slowly ex-venting before selecting out a datapad from his drawer. It contained a log he had recently purchased, it was a mystery novel and his attention was sometimes plucked away from his duties to sneak away and read it seeing how he had been taken a fondness to it. Though, he just hoped he was up for reading it today, the orbital cycle was still young after all and he might as well make the best of things before he'd have to go back in and work again. Taking the bookmark from his slot he tried his very best to push the meeting's events and outcomes out from his head so he could enjoy his book.

Though luck just didn't appear to not want to be on his side and he felt the need to just face plant his desk or roll over and lay on the floor, anything to get his mind to still and silence itself from priorities. Maybe he should just walk off and go take a nap, maybe go see how well his students are classing and if he could, give them some advice about what they should try next. Possibly he should go around and shop for some new paints, he did have a very fond taste in fashion and plus his paints did only last a couple of deca-cycles anyways if he were lucky. Always changing his style, that was Senator Shockwave for you as they would gladly say about him, but he didn't mind. That wasn't personally his most favorite hobby, changing paint schemes but it sure was fun seeing which paints suit him the best, but so far he like his blue red theme the best, maybe he'll stick to it more often.

Now that was he was thinking about it, Pit he even recalled a time he asked his officer friend Orion Pax what color he should go with next, advice that was approached and was offered with a highly successful good look. Sighing he bookmarked his tab and stuck it right back into the drawer it belong in. Offlining his optics he sat back into a quite comfortable slouch as he attempted his effects once more to relaxing. However the silence as one to be short lived as a soft curious knocking appeared at his literal doorsteps. Swiftly recomposing himself he tried to put on the act of being natural, and oh he silently desperately prayed for it not to be one of his Senate associates, even Dai Atlas' warm and welcoming company was not wished to be presented in the only place he could qualify as his private space.

"Come in." He toned his voice pattern to something casual and the door peeped open in a crack, a pair of blue optics peeking inside before the mech actually stepped on inside seeing as if it were a safe zone to enter or not. Shockwave internally sighed with relief as it happened to be just curious little Windcharger, one of the very first mechs who had joined his academy, though he's mainly only there to hang out and hide from the Functionist that would want his head on a silver platter if they found out his secret. Whatever work life that he desired was so far to be completely unknown, but that was fine, he was still young and mastering his "magical arms" seemed to be his top priority at the moment, though concentrating was still something he was bad at. Levitation was an extraordinary to gift, especially since now he's gotten extremely good to the point he can use it over longer distances, time frames and not to mention different skill units as well. Shockwave smiled at him, a true smile but even that couldn't really hide what he was truly feeling. "Hello." He decided to greet the younger mech who appeared to be just examining over him.

"Is everything, you know, alright?" Windcharger seemed to have just entirely discarded the jet's statement of a greeting all the way down to the corner as he began to bleed out his concern. Honestly, not exactly was he the father figure now was he? Yes in a sense of fatherhood stood high and proud on his shoulders, but more of a best friend and mentor, someone they knew they could trust their secrets with and be safe to know that it'll never stab them in the back. "Well I mean, well yeah that's exactly what I meant actually, we hadn't expected you to come in today, you know with the meeting and all, but you're here instead of shouting out your suggestions and arguments loud and proud about what's right and what's wrong. We got worried, so I came along to see if you were handling well."

And there they were once again by his side and surrounding him, their worry and care for him always seem to be one step ahead from his own. They blanketed him in it as he tried to demonstrate his own for them, though he was clearly outmatched against how much they provided for him and he struggled to even them out, steadying himself to be on equal floors as them to be balanced at a normal rate but obviously that wasn't going to happen, at least if it did not like that was going to happen anytime soon that was for sure. They've always got his back, and he knows that if he falls they'll be there to catch him and bring him back up to ground level, safely on his own pedes. That's what family is for, is it not?

"Yes, everything's just fine, just got a little overstressed from the meeting, that's all." Shockwave concluded with a small smile, a white lie like this one wasn't going to hurt anyone, besides he doesn't need for his students to be worrying over him for a pressing issue that wasn't that big of a deal anyways. However according to the expression that the Levitator was giving he knew damned well that the kid could see right through his little act like glass and he heaved out a long sigh. "Nah, I'm being serious here-Okay, not just a little stressed, maybe a bit over that marker but, yeah that's pretty much it. Its not that I don't adore your company and that I'm trying to get rid of you 'Charger, its just, I'm tired..." The red black mech nodded, understanding the statements and thinking about just how difficult of a job it must be to be a Senator anyways. The thinking alone just gave him a headache so he shifted onto a different much easier topic to wrap his head around, but not to mention one of a fine distraction.

"Hey, I got an idea. Ever had the feeling of redecorating your office? I can Glitch to help out, he's around or we could get you know, Mr. Forcefield Trailbreaker." The Outlier suggested happily looking around the office. It was yes a bit cluttered, but at the academy, nobody was exactly the neat freak and going to judge them on how they should organize their stuff, so it was normal even for Shockwave. It was best to have a place he could feel and call home. And that was exactly the ticket. The thought of redecoration seemed to have pinged the jet's interest, a distraction that had seemingly come easy to him all because it had been spoken from another's mind entirely. Someone that was outside of his own CPU's processing, and it helped that he couldn't control the situation with power, no, he'd like to be on equal groundings he remembered that well. Grinning to him he have a nod and the shorter mech clapped his servos together in accomplishment and confirming that they should get started.

* * *

"Well, aren't you suppose to be like, I dunno, the mech who's suppose to know everything? And when I say everything I mean that to." Windcharger commented as he and Skids walked down the long corridors of the academy's hallways. The trainee Theoretician glanced at him with a questioning look of what he had meant exactly by that. And normally as a super learner he should've taken that as a compliment of the sorts, but the slightly shorter mech didn't seem to have thought so about it, and he almost seemed intimidating to the Levitator. He was the one who could virtually master any skill set in he wished faster than anyone could teach him, but he guessed knowledge could also fall under the wing of that category as well, but he like his theories better than most of them anyways, it was why he was training to become a Theoretician anyways. As they strolled on by they gave waves, simple short greetings and smiles to their fellow Outlier classmates and friends who returned the favor. Taking a sharp left turn Skids finally made response to the red black mech's remark.

"That's...Not exactly what I do or specialize in you know..." Skids claimed as they continued their walk to the recreation room. "But anyways enough of the corrections on my account and what I tend to specialize in anyways and continue on our general topic on the Senator. His visits here have become more recent to very much well be put as of everyday and its become quite the concerning matter for us. And our very limited attempts to distract him and try to cheer him up are futile and only happen to last a mere few hours." They both gave a frown at the indication of their friend and mentor being troubled by a situation that seemed like it couldn't go away and was progressively worsening by every passing breem.

"Look, I'm just the mech with the magic arms, okay? You're the Theoretician who can portray more to the emotional level of advice for an action on what we should do you know that right?" He was quick to put up his defenses as Skids was somewhat criticizing him. Sighing he wished there was an easier resolution that could pop up from what they were undergoing right now, that'd be the trick. But he honestly didn't think Mr. In Kind Theoretician was going to come up with any real good ideas without there being many theories behind him to back up his conclusion.

"I've got an idea." Skids proclaimed out of nowhere and Windcharger was quick to look at his with much curiosity. "Come on you're going to help. Get everyone to keep this a secret and down low, its going to be a surprise, but we're gonna-" The rest was whispered to him softly and the red black mech grinned at the idea. Oh he liked the sounds of that. That plan was definitely going to work, he knew it.

"Hey no problem, now, let's get started!" He roared and rushed off faster than Skids could run as he was in a way, cheating by using his abilities, but, hey, spreading the news had to go by quick, and it'd spread like wildfire, but it'd be kindled to be low and secretive. Burning gently and the fires were small but soon it'd explode into a blaze of heat. Because Skids had his theories and ideas but they were always completely, _genius_.

* * *

_ IDW Units of Time_

_ Astrosecond = .498 seconds_

_ Breem = 8.3 minutes_

_ Cycles - 1.25 hours_

_ Deca-Cycle = Roughly 3 weeks_

_ Joor = Idiomatic hour_

_ Klik = 1.2 minutes_

_ Mega-Cycle = 93 hours_

_ Meta-Cycle = 13 months_

_ Oribtal Cycle= 1 day_

_ Stellar Cycle = 7.5 months_

_ Vorn = 83 years_

_ Units of Length_

_ Klik* = 1 kilometer_

_ Mechanometer = 1 meter_

_ Vun = 1 hectometer(100 meters)_


	2. Mission Accomplished

_**-Chapter 2-**_

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** A/N: Annnnnnnnd chapter 2 :D Oh look, they actually have a plan of action! Ta-da! Oh hey! Its the foreshadowing that I'm probably going to have to make up characters now! Welp, that's gonna be difficult seeing that I'm bad with coming up with Outlier powers ha ha ^^;**

* * *

_ Silence..._

_ That was an odd thing here._

_ Why was it so quiet?_

_ Where was all his students?_

_ Had something happened? Did the Functionists find out while he was away for another meeting?_

_ He prayed not._

"Hello?" He called out into the dreadful silence, his voice was strained from the concern he was emitting for all of them, his students, his friends, his family. "Is anyone here? Where have you all gone?" Passing on down the hallways he abruptly altered his course to the dorms' section. _Maybe just a tiresome day for them all, probably have gone to bed, _he thought. Without any given permission to be granted or any notice of where they've actually all have left to, he burst into a random dorm and half expected someone to jump up from their recharge slab in a startled reaction where he'd just dash over and hug whomever it'd be and just break down into an apologetic father figure. But not much to his surprise or hope, there was no one there. Sulking out from the dorm room he felt a sudden loom of death raise over him and his imagination was obviously getting the better of him as he was terrified from his own thoughts.

What his CPU was projecting into his processor just made him want to curl up and cry, hide away and never have to see the world and its cruelty ever again. All he could see was them trapped down to tables, being prepped and narcotized for the painful surgery that awaited them. That they would all be set aside from their rights as citizens of Cybertron to being mere test subjects to see what made them tick and what had developed the source of their Outlier abilities. Then he imaged resistance, an outrage flowing through them all and spreading through the ranks of the students, he saw a network being formed in a bridged line and screamed out as they began to tear their way free. Grabbing hold onto their weakened brothers and pulling each other out from the Functionists' Institutes. Frightened, hurt, alone, scarred, but together and united as a whole.

As he stood there in the middle of the hallway dazed by the terror his CPU brought forth he hadn't even realized what his surroundings around him were doing. But he was quick to snap his attention span back to reality as he was suddenly grasped by semi distant noises and he went into full scale alert. It sounded like someone was running. Was one of his special boys still alive here and on the run from whomever was after them? He had to find out, there was no way he was just going to pass down learning about what's going on here, even if he were to catch the imposter and have to beat the logic out of him that way. Dashing off quickly into the direction it was coming from he was making the sharpest of turns and crisscrosses around the dimly lite academy as he chased after the mech on the run. He would call out, but he didn't not to until he was sure it was one of his boys.

* * *

.::I dunno about you, but he seemed pretty scared back there to me Skids, you think we should've maybe done something like, I dunno, painted arrows on the walls to direct him?::. Windcharger inquired over the private communications network between them as they ran knowing full well that Senator Shockwave was hot on their heels and they'd probably end up getting ambushed by the ambitious mech who'd tackled them right off their pedes for some answers. Making a turn the two slid a bit but it was no problem thanks to Windcharger's levitation powers and they were back on track without an incident. Though Skids did seem to have a lot on his mind, maybe he was now considering the arrows suggestion and probably why he hadn't thought of that sooner, but there was no point now seeing how the so called "mission" was already in play.

.::Well if we ever do this again we'll be sure to add the arrows next time, but right now I believe he's onto us and will be on top of us-literally-in a matter of kilks, so hurry it up Windcharger! The recreation room is just up ahead!::. Skids' warning almost seemed like he was shouting internally as they quickened their pace as they glanced back slightly to see a figure cut-cross the corner and was gaining speed after them. Damn he was one Hell of a runner for a jet who could of easily just rocketed over to them, or maybe he did know it was them and decided to play along with their games by giving them a challenge, either that or he was too preoccupied that he forget his function as a jet. And there was no way that they'd transform in here, bad manner, besides there was the plus option that the two of them couldn't fit side by side in a narrow hallway such as this, so sprinting was there best option yet. .::GLITCH OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN THE DOOR!::. As they closed in on the Rec. Room's door it opened and the two literally slid on inside as it closed back into pitch black.

* * *

Well past the point of sheer determination, Shockwave was near ready to kick the door off its hinges when it instantly opened up without a single delay and he stumbled forward, but he failed to topple over as he was assisted by a large group of mechs in the darkness. But before he could have fear settle in, multicolored lights beamed down from the projectors that were hooked to the walls, something that obviously wasn't there before. A large amount of small shredded pieces of glow stones rained down upon them as they all cheered a great big; "**SURPRISE**!" that he wasn't expecting and he nearly jumped out from his armor's plating. What exactly was the meaning to all of this? What was going on? They were safe and sound?

"I-I'm sorry? I don't think I fully understand exactly what this happens to be all about..." Shockwave poured out his confession as his gaze darted around the full somewhat cramped yet cozy recreation room. Though he was expecting there to be some sort of sea of sadden disappointed expressions as if this was something he was supposedly informed about at some point in time and that the notice had accidently been pushed off to the side due to work. But all they did was give him the biggest cheeky grins as he was shuffled across the room. For how fast they were herding him, he swore that the room and all its colorful beams of light were spinning all around him until he finally was dragged down into a sit.

"Oh come on, look Senator, you need to take a break. Surprise party! It was all Skids and Windcharger's idea so you can blame them if ya wanna." Glitch explained happily as he slid a full glass across the table over to him. Shockwave caught it with ease and held up into the colorful lights that brightly raced across the room. The beverage in itself was certainly not high grade that was for sure and there was no mistaking it from the looks when he took a few sniffs at it just to double check. Though, he knew that the Outliers here weren't the drinking type, even if they were going to have a fun party such as this one, always responsible with just sweetened drinks.

"Well I suppose that it couldn't hurt if I am to take just a few go arounds." He mused as he listened to the crowd around them chant to the music that was playing. Though none of them were sound systems, they all had their ways of putting together quite the rhythm and he'd most likely have it processing through his CPU to the point that it would seem to be stuck and distract him from his concentrating thoughts. However that was hardly a problem with him. The idea of something enthusiastic was one of a relieving pleasure and he sure wasn't going to mind it, a distraction from his work yes, but it was one of an entertainment joy.

_ Yes, not a problem at all._

"Hey, saying that and then, we did set up several party games to, why don't you go around and test out your mighty wits. Maybe you'll be the one to beat chess against Skids or something. You know he's like, the most impossible mech to beat that I've ever known, but we're sure you can do it." Glitch remarked as Shockwave gave a bubbly laugh. It was one he hadn't witness in such a very long time as it fizzed up from his chassis like foam from overflowing glasses of high grade. And truthfully, it was a laugh he wished to experience a lot more often these days, not just the occasions like this.

"Ha ha, I'm not sure just how mighty my wits are Glitch and surely you mustn't think of me of someone with the amazing capabilities of defeating Skids in a strategy game, but I'll gladly take up an opponent any day!" The blue red jet winked as he took a swig of his drink.

_ Yes. A party would do his nicely, especially since its to uncoil the stress that was wired around him. If only the effects and after effects could stay that way forever._

* * *

They all stumbled around and over each other as they tiredly headed off to each of their dorms, holding onto each other and the wall or using their abilities if they could muster up the strength to help them in anyway whatsoever. Breems had slipped right between the digits of their servos like rushing water as if it were nothing and they were all completely exhausted in both body and mind. And with that they knew they were more than likely going to sleep through both their internal and external alarms. However it was going to be a very joyous memory for them all regardless of their aftermaths.

From somewhat of a far Shockwave stretched as he looked over all the Outliers as they staggered off happily, quietly chatting to themselves about sleep and mumbling things like studying and sleeping in or taking the next orbital cycle off. A soft smile formed as he yawned himself, all his work and duties had been completely forgotten about and he was too, ready to hit the berth for a good night's sleep. Strolling off to follow them to his own private hab suite here in the academy he bidded them all a good night and faired them well on their recharges as he too went to go retire. Too exhausted to think of farewells for he would leave early in the breems of the next day, he followed the maze walls of the school before he found his room. Punching in the codes the door slid open and he gladly hovered over to the berth, flopping down and he was immediately out like a light.


	3. Shopping Markets

_** -Chapter 3-**_

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_** A/N: This is quickly becoming a series, I like it :) I'll try my best to update as weekly as possible! And though its never said in the comics(unless I somehow missed that detail), I'm pretty sure the Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology is in Iacon. Has turned to rated T for future chapters :)**_

_** Guest Starring: Orion Pax!(That super cop XD)**_

* * *

It wasn't something that was completely out of the norm and just plain more than meets the eye or in the sense of unusual either, this was what happened for any regular morning. A morning where he really just didn't want to crawl out from his comfortable curled up position on his soft padded berth and get ready for the breems of the orbital cycle that had started the new day not too long ago. However, all the stress that had threatened to pain him any longer had vanished, finally ridding himself from the excruciating weight on his chassis just due to what he solefully believed in and how he dared to argue among the rest of the other representatives of the Senate about his beliefs. In the many cases of all their ramblings and motions carried, laws being put up and thrown down with the support of the people it wasn't a surprise that the stress would eventually catch up to pat them on the shoulder, but his time for that had come and gone, literally, and now he was alright again.

With more than just a simple sigh he didn't know how, but somehow he had managed to get himself to crawl out and away from the warmth of his berth. Trudging off and over to the washracks he surely did feel like a youngling again. One who wished to not get up in the early breems in order for him to attend his classes for his science career he had never knew or predicted that was going to lead him into being something as great as a Senator. Especially to be a Senator that was protecting the several lives of an abused class of Outliers because the Functionists deemed them to be a flaw of both nature and Cybertronian society because they had just a little extra special to them. Stretching he looked himself over in the giant mirror that was pretty much more like bolted than mounted to the wall that was across the room from where the washing racks were to the left. Giving himself a slight frown he spun around to look at his back's plating, doing an entire full body inspection.

_Flaked paint._

Oh and how he saw that as a true fashion disaster just waiting for the right moment to crash down on his life in the statements of changing his paint scheme quite often. It was surely another one of those times to go out and purchase a pair of matching colors for the next perfect color scheme. Something that wasn't just going to be just plain blue red, it was time for an upgrade, though he'd probably return to this one in due time. The jet was a well classed Senator who needed to keep up his appearance and his paint reputation along with that! Though, the meetings of the day called out before he could simply just stride off down into town to get himself some pains and acquire some assistance to apply the products in a flawless professional manner.

But to cover the flakes was now his top priority and that was no problem at all, with just a good buffer to polish down over a spectacular coat of wax the temporary problem would be solved until he could get the chance to go out and about, which he'd probably do in his high 'cycle break. With that it'll easily spread the paint neatly into place to fit accordingly with each other then, he was sure no one would notice, not unless they were critics on every little detail such as a small shred of flaked paint. Grabbing his tool box he kept under the sink it was filled to the brim with all his fashion equipment and he was swift to get to work, the day was certainly going to be a very busy one and not one he planned to miss out on and hide away in his officer while trying hard enough to focus on that lovely mystery novel of his. He intended to make the best of this day that was for sure.

_ It was time to take a proud stand once again Shockwave! this time, as that ambitious Senator you know yourself to be!_

* * *

Windcharger heaved out a long heavy sigh as he talked himself into the built in archive hall library to the academy-a place it was rare to find him not napping in during the high or late breems of the orbital cycle-but this early in the 'cycle, wasn't that just saying something a little too much? Trailbreaker couldn't help but to glance up over from his book and he swore that maybe the Levitator was seriously sick and should probably be taken to the medibay ASAP. But then again he had to remember the party from the other night, he might of lost a bet or something during the party and that's more than likely of why he was here. With that as his only opinion the Force Field user discarded the thought and went back to his own studying, not at all in any way bothering to see where this was actually going, after all he did have better things to do all day than just sit around doing nothing.

Strolling over to another table it was almost completely vacant and the red black mech plopped himself down into the seat next to Mr. In Kind Theoretician. Seriously though, he really had to come up with better nicknames for the group, it was getting to the paint that they were beginning to become stupidly long and the next thing he'll realize is when his memory is going to really kick in in the aft about mixing them up. However the blue black mech beside him didn't pay him any mind and if he didn't know any better than he would have assumed that he had somehow failed to notice his presence by being caught up in his note taking. Now that would be something to see that he'd even pay tickets to go to, Skids not noticing something for once? What were the odds of that one?

"I assume you're here because you've got nothing to do and you had forgotten to shut the blinds to your window last night-again-and you couldn't fall back to sleep because Alpha Centauri's sunlight was way too bright for you." Skids stated as he flicked the datapad's screen to go to the next page and he scanned through it, jotting down note and expressions for his training to become a Theoretician. Though for an Outlier like himself who could literally master virtually any skill and knowledge there is to know faster than anyone could teach him, that was saying a lot of things and handing him a lot of option for high classed top notch occupations. Why could he just stick down towards the high middle class with just plain ol' theories? It was probably due to his interest in making them with all that info and skills in his head, he'd probably be the best one out there. He's definitely not going to be just some regular ol' theory nut, no, he was going to end up being Mr. Super In Kind Theoretician. _Ah, dammit again! _"Don't hit yourself." Skids pointed out bluntly and out of nowhere without even bothering to look up, sometimes, he really was a buzz kill but it was also like he could read other people's mind. Creepy.

"What are you even talking about? I wasn't gonna hit myself Skids!" The slightly taller mech out of the two protested almost in a shout as Skids just continued to work like the conversation wasn't even going on at all.

"Don't give me that, you had that look, the look you always give when you're about to slap yourself for thinking, saying aloud or doing something stupid, _**again**_. So don't you dare even try to pull that trick on me because I can see right through it like glass, I know you way too well because of it 'Charger and I see all the signs you give off." Well wasn't that just a true little fact there. Ever since Windcharger had first joined with the first few batch Senator Shockwave had rescued off the streets or other places related, he was easily the one to latch onto the others that he could call friends. The first had been Glitch-who was also another one of those mechs who just happened to be in the first batch as well as him-who had had "attacked" head on in his pursuit to seek out brothers along with several others.

And slowly they began to come in more numbers. Not long after the third group's arrival had he met Trailbreaker and then lastly along with a few others who had enrolled into the academy was with Skids. Though, he did seem to have a tendency to latch on to others pretty well and everyone had seemed to follow his example but they had all done that with each other. Because, literally, there wasn't a single mech in the whole academy that they didn't know, the more brother to hang around was for the better anyways, and when a new Outlier arrived they were all quick to see who would become their first friend if they came alone. They were a very welcoming bunch.

"Okay, okay fine, maybe I was thinking about it..." Windcharger exclaimed finally admitting it, but that was going to be the last thing he admitted and was going to admit for a long while, he'd have to make sure of that so his CPU doesn't tell him otherwise.

"Yeah, yeah, sure I believe you were just thinking about it." Skids said in the tone of voice that always made his friend snicker as he rolled his optics in a joking manner. "So really, what's up? You being in the library this early and obviously not here to nap? Just to chat with me? Are you sick? Do I need to get Glitch or Trailbreaker or, well, anyone?" Skids questioned smiling as he looked up from his notes spotting Trailbreaker in the corner of his view's range perk up to his name and give a shrug and a motion that's exactly what he was thinking as well. Surely it wouldn't be a surprise if they just dragged him off to the medibay and told one of their Outlier friends training to become doctor Windcharger was in the library **not** to nap, the Levitator was sure to be laying down automatically with scans being run on him to see if he was functioning properly and if all his vitals were intact.

"Nah, will you stop that? Senator came by my hab suite this morning before he left and asked me if I wanted to go to town with him later, you know the drill. Shopping."

"Yes? And what does that have anything to do with me, honestly? Come on, seriously, if you're scared to go out into town with Senator, then you've got some issues. Stop being such a wuss and mech up!" Skids nearly shouted that last part as he threw his arms up in disbelief as he had expected that to be the only part to Windcharger's explanation for being here this fine morning.

"No, no, no! Frag no Skids! You've mislead me for someone else who'd be scared to go into public places with others! I just came here to stop by and ask if you wanted to come or something to pull you away from your studies! He did say I could bring friends you know!" And the protest began but also with that, it also ended as fast as it had started.

"Oh...Really? I-Well, I mean, if we're going to the shopping markets than sure, I guess I can reschedule. Besides, I need to get another datapad, this one's memory core is getting a bit cramped." Skids commented his suggestion as he recalibrated the pen he was using.

"Come on, admit it Skids, I know you just wanna go out to buy another board game and that's the only reason why you compiled in this. Besides, we all know you hardly ever need the notes anyways because you like memorize every single little detail there is to know though you're not an archivist!" The trainee Theoretician just gave him a look, it was that innocent childish look, the one set aside from his neutral one where he almost seemed like the most cold and intimidating mech if you didn't really know him that well. The Levitator gave him a playful nudge. "Central Square, one breem passed high 'cycle. See ya there." And then he was off, floating around "magically" that caught some of the others' attention as they watched him off. He was seriously one Pit of a strange mech, but in a way, they were all just as odd. _Okay, maybe Windcharger was just a little bit more weirder than the rest of them, but that was fine_, Skids couldn't help but chuckle to himself from the thought.

* * *

The two young Outliers walked into the Central Square, the park was littered with fully grown glowing crystal plants as they bathed to recharge their night time glow in the sunlight. But the place wasn't only known for its vast collection of rare color crystal plants, it was also one of the main entrances to the many shopping districts in the city. Sitting down at some random nearby empty bench they decided to check the chronometer, a little early yes, but it was always better to be early rather than being late, it was rude to stand someone up, especially a good friend such as Senator Shockwave. Besides, they didn't mind if they have to wait a short while, after all, being a Senator means being a very busy mech with a ton of responsibilities and sometimes those duties held him back in the office even a little past his break time so he was unable to leave the office right away for his high orbital cycle break. _Maybe that's why Skids was sticking to a job like a Theoretician, not as many work duties as a high class guard or Senator or something related_, Windcharger thought. And due to the fact that they really didn't have anything to conversate about the duo just sat there and waited, midning their surroundings of all the beautiful crystal plants and walking the mechs that walked by.

"I spy-" Windcharger started up out of nowhere and also what seemed to be directed to mainly anyone who was really listening to him. "Something red." _Red? _The super learner was quick to start looking around frantically as he was desperate to spot something that was coated in red and not a moving figure. A game such as this was one was surely distracting him, a challenging one with that take on situation. Slumping back down he focused his gaze straight ahead as he looked for the red object his fellow classmate had pointed out. Windcharger snickered and he automatically knew the answer was one being very obvious to the both of them. Palming his forehead Skids sighed, sometimes he hated playing this game.

"You." Skids answered and he was given a very playfully non-harming punch to the shoulder from his grinning friend.

"Hey! Good guess! How'd ya know?" Windcharger's grin widen and Skids tried to keep a straight face at that stupid expression he was being given.

"I'm going to hurt you later." The blue black mech heaved out a mixture of a sigh and a chuckle as he shook his head. "Really? That was your dumb idea to get my attention? Calling out yourself as the red figure?"

"Maybe, but hey! It worked didn't it?"

"Point taken, I guess I'll give you credit for that one." Skids now looked up as he was given an expression of fake hurt from the other. He rolled his optics. "Okay, my turn. I spy something, hmmm..." He took a minute to think and suddenly a familiar frame popped up in his visions line of sight. "Something...Blue red..."

"Blue red?" Windcharger looked around and than that's when he spotted out Senator Shockwave in the crowd as he gave a wave to them being dashing over to them. "Oh! Senator!" They both jumped to their pedes as the jet slid to a halt over in front of them, giving a wink.

"Oh please, its just Shockwave, don't flatter yourselves." The jet said a bit over excited and joyed to see them and he embraced them both in a tight hug as a greeting of his gratitude. "Glad you came 'Charger, and you too Skids, I see you got drag out. That's good, you need to get yourself a little more sunlight ha ha." Skids smiled shyly, his studying was more of an indoor thing and he wasn't out very often, so the comment was somewhat, well, cute. Seeing how the Transformers' race doesn't need anything provided from the sun besides it being daylight for time telling the a source to recharge crystal plants and solar panels, it was pretty much a thing they most likely just didn't really need for many purposes. But Alpha Centauri was still there sun and nothing was really going to change that. "So, anyways, who's up for some shopping?"

"Me!" Windcharger exclaimed with a happy jump and Shockwave looked at Skids he just smiled and shrug. He didn't mind. Shopping could be a fun hobby he supposed.

* * *

"I like green and purple." Skids pointed out to the two colors on the shelf and he was immediately shot down by a protested of opinion of the colors white and red. Shockwave rubbed the back of his helm as he observed the two argue with fire in their optics just all about his next paint job, it was actually quite entertaining, so much that he in fact had to contain his laughter from bursting out. And even though the two almost seemed like they were screaming at each other about it along with biting off a few heads here and there, none of the other customers seemed to be bothered by the noise level. Yes there were a few glances and murmurs that the Senator had overheard a few talking about the paint scheme suggestions he smiled at their sense of fashion. He did have to admit, fashion was something he was particularly good at, but sometimes even he wanted a little advice of where to turn when it came to deciding for the next style. "Shut up, you have no sense in the good taste of those colors put together!"

"Green and purple together? Skids! You're completely insane! Red and white is** way **more fashionable than those boring bland colors! And if you like the colors so much why don't you change your paint scheme instead." Windcharger defended his suggestion with pride and a steering comeback such as that and the heated argument raged on. _Hmmm, green and purple, red and white? Such great colors...Maybe I could mix them up a bit, the sounds of green and red, no wait, maybe purple and white? Oh, why must fashion be like this? _Just thinking about it made him dizzy and he wished for there to be a third wheel to his conversation, though, fashion could sometimes be nothing but a headache rage even on him. Maybe he'd take on some of those suggestions he had overheard from the mingling customers, surely the two Outliers wouldn't mind, either that or they'd argue about which was better again. Oh well...

"How about you go with main color purple with a trim of white?" Someone with a familiar voice pattern known to the jet pitched in and the argument ceased it bullets of words. "Besides, the noise level in here is ridiculous." The three of them completely perked up and spun without grace on their heels as Orion Pax, a mech known to be titled as the "super cop" strolled up to their small group of a trio.

"Ah! Orion! What happens to being you here?" Shockwave questioned with glee at the sight of his officer friend being here in a shop such as this, maybe he was even taking his advice on getting a touch up to his paint. Oh how he wanted to just squeal from the thought, though that would make him appear to be even more unprofessional. "Come here to get some paint polish or something nice to overlay your old coat of paint?" The questions almost seemed blunt, but Orion had taken no offense to it at all, in fact he laughed at it. However the two academy students were quiet with confusion and they whispered to each other.

"Nah, I was just portalling and I thought I saw you so I came to stop by." The officer replied with earnesty.

"Ah, well I like the suggestion, thank you, I'll gladly take it up." Shockwave grabbed a few cans of the spray paints and a few paint polishes before grabbing the two Outliers by their arms like their were his escorts or guides and they both looked off to the side, a little embarrassed. "Alright you two! We'll get what you want and go home, what'daya say?" They just simply nodded and wave their silent goodbyes to Orion as they were dragged away. He waved back and looked over at the paint polish brands, maybe he should touch up his paint a bit.


	4. A Field Trip

_** -Chapter 4-**_

* * *

** A/N: Op, we're guest starring again? Cool. Short chapter, needed something to spotlight on while making a crime scene, yes, spoiler alert and foreshadowing! In your face um, um, um...Person! Reader! Computer robot?...How about if you're reading this, you're a fellow Cybertronian? I like the sounds of that one ha ha ^^;**

**Guest Starring: Dai Atlas(:D Yay! Senator Dai Altas! Ha ha, I love this guy even though Star Saber killed him :c)**

* * *

Skids, Wincharger, Glitch and Trailbreaker stalked after Senator Shockwave as they all pretty much in a sense, paraded into the city limits with him. The four Outliers chatted quietly to themselves taking glances around on occasions as if they half expected for someone to jump out and strike them down knowing they're secretly Outliers, but nothing happened while Shockwave on the other hand was intensively looking out for the location of their destination. And after some time of walking they were all eventually motioned to a halt and now was the time they really started to pay more attention to their surroundings and where they had just arrived at. The three students looked up at the building in front of them, a local archive hall? Did Senator not think that the library at the academy not have enough information for them, the three looked at Windcharger and the Levitator looked like he was going to pass out and they swiftly went to his aid. If he had know they were going to a library, he wouldn't have come in the first place, the poor guy.

Without any further delay they all quickly tailed Shockwave inside as he seemed to have not even noticed Windcharger's queezyness as he was the last to enter the great building full of knowledge and he nearly stumbled over his own pedes. One archive hall was good enough for him thank you very much, but two? That was just saying overkill on a whole new level just escalating and waiting to happen at any moment it was given the opportunity to strike. But for some odd unknown reason to him the place seemed like it was filled with and aroma that gave off the scents that it wasn't just a place for the collected learning data, but also a place of great unity.

_Oh well now that's just great, more peace at mind stuff, isn't Skids being a religious Primalist follower enough? _Windcharger started blankly off into the space of his thoughts as the feeling of a know began to form in his fuel pumps, and he felt utterly cramped and surrounded by, well, the things he really had little to zero interest in. Being escorted around the place, Trailbreaker pretty much had to carry the dazed Levitator around seeing how there was no way in the Pit he could walk or use his "magical" levitation abilities with his condition, he was far too out of it. The other three took a note for themselves for the red black mech's sake, always ask Senator Shockwave if they're going to an archive hall in advance before asking to bring Windcharger along or else this was most likely going to happen again.

* * *

_ He watched his prey carefully, jotting down the notes of every single one of his moves and daily activities that were shortcoming in his mind. For this one was another one to work at the local Iacon hospital down on the south side and then from there he'd go to his break towards the high joors of the 'cycle, going shopping to see if anything stood out of any interest to him and also maybe get a sweetened drink of energon or so. Then he'd go back to work again and in the late evening joors would he retire to his apartment. And now, after many long mega-cycles, it was finally the time to strike and rid of another flaw of Cybertronian lifestyles, that in which one the governmental Functiontists would probably deem correct for they haven't caught onto something yet, just yet of course, but soon it shall be known publicly wide. For who would to have a doctor look after them who was constructed cold? Not many really would..._

* * *

"Ah, my friend and his young students have come to visit?" Dai Atlas beamed happily as he looked over the much shorter mechs. Glitch and Trailbreaker waved and continued to poke at Windcharger who was still completely out of his wits, but Skids seemed preoccupied by the data log he was reading. Oh course he was studying, he wasn't going to be a Theoretician any sooner if all his friends kept bugging him about going into town and dragging him away from his notes just to get him to focus on doing something other than writing down hundreds of notes he still clearly didn't need. Noticing his students were more than occupied in their current events Shockwave motioned the larger Senator to the side for their own private conversation and they walked off a few aisles away.

"These murders of those who are constructed cold are becoming more frequent and they're all in the same trade mark way, a slow bleeding dry while being hung to the ceiling of their hab suite or whatever room to their housing they were killed in. Its concerning me." Shockwave said quietly glancing back to make sure his students weren't eavesdropping on the conversation, they had a tendency to do that so they were always highly informed of many situations, however the four were still doing whatever it was they were doing-though Windcharger didn't look too well from being in a place like this. Turning back to the larger flyer he awaited the response.

"Yes, but there's nothing we can do so far, there's no clues for us to follow, even your officer ally Orion Pax hasn't been able to pick up a trail, everything just appears to have left a cold to impossible trail as if we were dealing with a ghost, related or worse." Dai Atlas answered back also looking over to the students for a brief second, but again, none of them gave an indication that they could hear the conversation being explained. "And there's no updates to finding out a pattern. There's nothing in common with the victims besides that they're all constructed cold. Everyone of them is different except for that one little detail..."

"Yeah...That's the thing that troubles me is how the murderer knows how to tell the difference between forged and constructed cold..." Shockwave grieved.

* * *

_ Murdering in the daytime was already a difficult task as it was, but doing it in the night more of a challenge. He was going to have to break in silently without tripping any alarms that the door was being pick locked and avoiding possible security footage that would surely give out his identity. Readying himself he was swift to unbolt the ceiling shaft that lead instead and he crawled in. As he reached the destination of his victim's hab suite he peeked in, the doctor was already fast asleep. Perfect. Activating his face guard's gas mask function he unscrewed the shaft and rolled in a sleeping gas pod and the white almost clear smoke began to fill the room. After it had completed he crawled out and made a loud crashing noise of purposely knocking a shelf of highly breakable valuables over. The doctor still remained asleep. Good, time to get to work._

* * *

"Well thank anyways, I was hoping there'd be some new information while I was away from the office today. You know, I have to maintain my academy after all, get the place inspected if needing any repairs for some sort of damage of corrosion." Shockwave commented with a sigh, nervously rubbing the back cables of his neck and Dai Atlas nodded.

"Well, I'm glad I was able to give a little assistance to the situation, I'll contact you if I learn anything new while you're out. Take care and be careful."

"I plan to be." Shockwave said walking back over to his students and motioning them to follow in which they did, of course, not before Skids asked for permission to borrow the data log he was reading in which was kindly granted access to the information for as long as he needed. As they walked out, Trailbreaker still carrying Windcharger they chatted among themselves about off topic things, relieving Shockwave's mind of that they hadn't overheard his and Dai Atlas' conversation about the murders.

.::Did you record it Glitch?::. Skids questioned over the private communications network as he continued to listen to Glitch and Trailbreaker's conversation.

.::Of course I did, who do you think I am?::.

.::Good. Hey 'Charger, you can quit faking you're past out now::. Skids commented and the Levitator winked at him while still being carried from the Force Field user.

.::So what's your plan, Mr. In Kind Theoretician?::. Trailbreaker asked using the nickname he was given and Skids shrugged.

.::Don't worry, I'll think of something::.

* * *

_ "Oh don't worry, you're a masterpiece now." He commented as he cleaned the energon off his hands as he looked up at his work. Just another victim hanging down from the ceiling slowly bleeding to death in an endless dream. And that dream will never see reality again..._


	5. Mr In Kind Theoretician

_** -Chapter 5-**_

* * *

** A/N: Oh look, another super short chapter. And let the research begin! I'm updating quite frequently aren't I? Well I've got nothing I need to work on so oh well. Speaking of which, wow, this weekend is going to be spammed with a lot of chapters hopefully ^^ No guest star in this chapter.**

* * *

They watched the holonews carefully as it revealed yet another victim of the continuing same murder case, the same trademark coming up on the body as well as they showed how they had found it. Everything was exactly the same as the last, something crashed against the ground as if whomever it was had been testing if noise would disturb the victim or not. However there was no signs given that the victim had been struggling, it was as if he had been asleep throughout the whole entire thing. like nothing had ever happen to rip him away from his dream. And for that specific reason they had titled it the; "Dreamcaster" case, honestly, it was a dumb name. For there was always some logical answer to everything, there was no such thing as real "magic" and he knew that the police weren't seeing everything to this story.

Getting up, Skids muted the volume as he went over to the small storage closet off to the side to go collect a map for them to mark off the points of their research. Besides, he really didn't need to continue watching the news, none of them did really they had already gotten the info they needed about it, and besides they always decide to record the news and stash it away in their "Top Secret Classified Files" box. And though that may seem a bit childish but it was something they were all apart of. Seeing how they were always eavesdropping and collecting information they just decided to fly by them. Always making sure that their dearly beloved Senator Shockwave was in good hands and if he was handling his duties well or if he needed some additional support from his family to get through the day. So in a sense, everyone who attended the academy was apart of his giant top secret spy organization, and they were determined to keep each other safe.

Shoving the datapads and other objects of the sorts off to the side he placed down the map onto the table, turning it on he converted it into the three dimensional setting and several layers popped up out into an interactional hologram. Ridding the extra layers they didn't need he flattened down the map and pushed the holographic city map of Iacon up to the wall for the presentation. Asking Trailbreaker for a pen the Outlier grabbed one and tossed it over to him as he headed over, Skids catching the tool with ease and he began to mark the points of all the incidental murders created by this so called; "Dreamcaster" down onto the map.

"Alright Glitch, come here and tell us all the murders in order. Just list off the mech's occupation and where his murder case was." Skids said aloud as he grabbed an extra datapad in case he wanted to write any notes down. Getting up the one optic mech walked over, Windcharger tailing him to join them around the table in front of the map.

"Okay, the first one started here when everyone thought it was just a grudge." Glitch pointed out to the glowing dot on the far west side of the map. "The mech who lived there had the low class occupation of being a garbage disposal bot, you know, street cleaner work." He was motioned to continue as Skids wrote himself a little theory about it in the back of his mind rather than on the clean page on the datapad. "Alright, at the fifty degree angle up and that's probably like forty maybe fifty miles northwest, that guy was just a student who was said to be training into becoming a lawyer." _Well there goes the thought of it rising up in career ranks. No pattern was there to report already there goes my theory_, Skids hesitated his processing thought as Glitch continued his own report. The north point, officer, north east, bartender, east, drug dealer from Dead End, southeast, academy teacher, and then the latest incident for the south point was a doctor. That's where the list came to a screeching end. "Okay, that's all the victims so far Skids, and we already know that all the victims have one thing in common, and that'd being constructed cold." Skids nodded his agreement but then he saw something he didn't before.

_ Wait a minute...That's a shape..._

"No guys wait, look I think I get this, see how its all perfectly angled right down to the dot? We've got most of the sharp completed, but I think we can finally establish what it really is.." Skids pointed out.

"Yeah...Its a star..." Trailbreaker finished the sentence for him.

"A _star_? Wait, yeah its gonna be a star alright...Maybe its a hint of who it is...I think I've heard something about this before...Say, where's the next target going to be at Skids?" Windcharger mentioned as Skids began to type in the latitude and longitude coordinates of the next location and the map brought up a zoomed in version of the location, taking a few astroseconds to clear the image so it wasn't blurry.

"Here." Skids pointed to three apartment buildings that were side by side. "Whomever is next is definitely living in one of those three buildings..."

"Yes, but listen. The murders are all by the same person right? Well, we have time to go play investigator alright Mr. In Kind Theoretician? Because there's always at least two mega-cycles apart before the next. The murderer probably has to look out for a way into the victim's home without raising alarms and also study every single one of their moves until he's gathered enough info before he can rush in for the kill." Trailbreaker noted and they all looked at him, Skids discarding the nickname once again from the many times they had titled him that in the past few joors. Glitch may have memorized all the locations and occupations, but Trailbreaker had paid a lot more attention to the time span between each death. Seriously, how have the police not up caught up to that yet and they have, minus all the cool and fancy tech equipment. The Enforcer teams must either be really slacking, or they're just hopelessly clueless and more than likely, the top notch officers are probably dealing with cases much bigger than this one and don't have the time to do it.

"Alright then, here's our plan of action. We'll go off and play investigator-"

"I just **love** how we all see this all as a fun game." Windcharger said, somewhat unintentionally cutting Skids off who just rolled his optics at the comment and continued with what he was going to say.

"Okay then, thank you for that random comment 'Charger. Anyways, we're going to secretly sneak into the housings of where the crimes were committed and see if we can get a sense on how this so called; '_Dreamcaster_' was really doing his works. Any clues, anything you can find different from the news cast is something that'll give us another good step forward in solving this case. So go gear up, get some sleep, do whatever you need to do. 'Cause we're going to be heading out, tonight."

"Roger that Mr. In Kind Theoretician!" They shouted and swiftly bolted off Skids watched as they zoomed out of the room.

"Really guys? _Really_? Mr. In Kind Theoretician?" Skids sighed. "I guess it really does stick, ha ha..."


	6. Play Investigator

_** -Chapter 6-**_

* * *

** A/N: I'm thinking about making an update day for myself like, maybe every Thursday so I just don't the website on random days ha ha, but that'll probably never happen so yeah XDD**

* * *

"Why is guard duty always so boring, it sucks. Seriously, how did we even get stuck doing this?" One of the grunt officers asked his partner as they patrolled the apartment's perimeter. "Its not like anyone is really just gonna go walk up to some super gory crime scene like this one, there's nothing to see! And nothing here either, what would they do? Take pictures? I mean, come on, seriously? This guy was a doctor, he literally had a first aid kit in every room, so unless someone is really fascinated by the contents found in a first aid kit to want to steal it, then A: that's the stupidest thing ever, and B: someone really has issues there."

"Yeah..." The other replied in agreement as they made their way back to the front side of the building. Standing there back at the main entrance they listened to the silence, staring straight ahead like they had been doing for the past boring joors that had already come and gone. Though it seemed like the breems alone where going by slower than the joors were and it was awful, wretchedly awful especially since they both knew from the experiences time after time that not a whole lot happens at night, and not a whole lot happens while guarding a crime scene and they both wished for something to happen. Something that would get them away from this place, like, well, how about their bikes mysteriously driving off without a driver or something. _Ha, like that was ever going to happen._

"W-What the frag?!" He looked over at his partner with sudden curiosity yet he was very confused at the out of nowhere reaction to well nothing, but then came the sudden roar of two loud revving engines like someone was getting ready to race. But the revs seemed oddly, too familiar to his autio receptors. Quickly the two exchanged glances before they both looked in the general direction the noise was coming from. And there was bikes were-turned on? Without the keys or a driver? _Oh Primus, why did I have to think that thought? _And with that the two transportation machines zoomed off and they went into a frenzy of a panic before rushing forward and transformed, chasing after their two rogue vehicles that stashed all their equipment in.

When the two guards were finally long gone and out of sight the four students came out from their hiding spots and regrouped at the front door, Windcharger couldn't help it as his laughter poured down as he hunched over and braced his knees for a breather but he just couldn't stop, and Trailbreaker was grinning like a fool and Glitch, well poor Glitch didn't have a face but he was chuckling to himself. That joke was totally going to be worth recording, their faces were completely priceless! That plan of luring the cops away was certainly worth the wait of spending the time for Windcharger to be to focus clearly enough to start the engines and drive them off, but also to cross the wires so that they would still end up diving themselves even after his levitation support on them was no longer required. Heck, even Skids was smiling from it and that was something you don't see everyday since he was normally such a serious guy.

"Okay guys enough kicks and giggles over there, we've got work to do!" Skids shouted as he walked over to the door and examined its lock function. "Hey Glitch come here. You think you could open this for us? I don't really want to risk at picking the lock since its easy for officers to tell if someone had been trying to break in by doing that." Giving a simple nod Glitch touched a claw to the door and after a few; "ows!" it clicked softly, claiming that the locks had been deactivated. Skids gave him a pat on the shoulder, granting him with words of praise for his excellent work. Motioning Trailbreaker and Windcharger over the four entered the apartment and if it hadn't been reported or every room checked it appeared like nothing had ever happened, just someone was out for work or a few good rounds with some friends, the place was, well, normal.

Walking into the room of the crime they all were careful not to mess anything up. Messing something up would mean big trouble and they would be sought out because they had entered a no enter zone. They all just stared from their spot in each of the four corners of the berthroom. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary from what the news cast had already soon to the public. Everything was here, even the energon stains. Nothing had changed and it obviously wasn't going to change until the murderer had been caught and dealt with. And Skids knew they probably weren't seeing anything new, something they hadn't spotted before because they were looking too hard for something in plain sight. But what was it?

"Hey, was that container there before?" Glitched point to a small round container that was on the floor, and it was something that hadn't been there nor had they seen it on the newsfeed either. It almost seemed like it was invisible to them like; "if you were looking for it you wouldn't have noticed it" or, "if you didn't know it existed you couldn't see it," kinda thing. But aside from scientific facts and its weird way of making fancy tech even more cooler than it already was, wouldn't the container have been noticed by at least one officer who wasn't even paying much attention to the situation he was dealing with? Why hadn't it been swept off and thrown into the evidence box yet? "Should we grab it? Because I don't recall ever seeing it one the newsfeed earlier..." Skids looked at both Windcharger, who just shrugged and than to Trailbreaker who tilted his helm to the side a bit as if he were waiting to be told to grab it or not.

"Yeah, since it doesn't seem to have been noticed by the cops earlier, I doubt it ever will be. So go ahead and grab it Trailbreaker." Skids answered and the Force Field user carefully headed over to it, crouching down and picking it up before shoving it into the bag he was carrying. "Alright, we got what we needed, let's move out."

* * *

"So Skids, what is that thing for anyways?" Windcharger poked at him as he examined the small cylinder container, tossing it back and forth between his servos as he continuously turned it over. The four hadn't been back for too long and Trailbreaker and Glitch had already retired for the night, but the first few breems had been explaining a little white lie to Senator Shockwave who had seemed to have taken notice to their disappearance and had been awaiting their arrival at the front entrance, after all, there was a curfew the academy students did have to follow. A curfew in which they had been caught disobeying but they knew something or similarly related to it was going to happen anyways, so they came prepared. Trailbreaker had even gladly showed their so called evidence by having Senator inspect his bag for any new contents, however all he seemed to have found was all of Force Field user's telescope material and equipment.

And with that they had claimed that they had left a few joors before the curfew rules so that they could stargaze and that because they were having so much fun and interest in their charting they had lost track of time and headed home some time late because of it. The lie was taken seriously and along with that had also proven Skids' theory. For when Senator Shockwave had inspected the bag full hands on, he didn't seem to have noticed the small container that they had swiped up from the apartment. The indication that because he hadn't noticed its existence, he didn't see it there. Theory proven, the object must have some sort of scientific sensor attached to it.

"Well if you really wanna know, I think its most logical to say is a gas container of some sort but I've never seen one like this before if it is." Skids replied though he wasn't entirely sure if his answer was correct. "If it isn't, then I'm sure sure what else it could be, but I did go back and watched the news we've recorded and yes, in each housing of the crimes there is one of these in the room where the death had been performed."

"If its a gas we're talking about it more than likely got to be some sort of sleeping fume, seeing how that it would seem that way, and on the plus side, they had also said that there was nothing to prove that the victim had been struggling against his killer." Windcharger noted as he plopped himself down onto his berth in their shared dorm room.

"Yeah...That would explain it, but that would have to be a very powerful gas if the victim is still able to sleep through a loud crashing noise of the killer knocking some heavy and full of objects like a shelf. Its probably a homemade tested chemical, but we can't be too sure about it, whomever we're dealing with is going to be an even tougher challenge than we thought, for if we're going to stop him we're going to need the best equipment and a lot of handy tools to bring him down." Windcharger nodded in agreement as Skids began to stash away the stuff for their so called; "Operation Dreamcaster."

"Hey no worries Skids, I'll get the guys to help me pluck up some stuff tomorrow, but right now, since I haven't napped in days. Its time to sleep!" Stretching out across his berth he flopped over into a comfortable position and offlined his optics. Putting the box away in a small secret safe in the bottom of Skids' closet the super learner followed his friend's example and collapsed down onto the berth, curling up to himself in a comfy position and fell into a deep recharge.


	7. Special Ops

_** -Chapter 7-**_

* * *

** A/N: And now, let the mission begin! Mah ha ha ha ha! I am really into writing this series out :) Got so many ideas! Well anyways guest stars appear at the towards the middle and end and I think I might have to start making up characters now! Oh noes! Outlier powers troll me to!**

** Unit Notes: Klik = 1.2 minutes, Klik* = 1 Kilometer, RV = Rendezvous, ETA = Estimated Time of Arrival**

** Guest Starring: Orion Pax, Prowl and Tumbler(A.K.A. Chromedome's prior name before joining The Institute)**

* * *

If Senator Shockwave found out they were practically sneaking out-again-to do a secret operation that might possibly them them severely hurt or even killed instead of going stargazing in Central Square like they had told him, he was going to have more than a few blown fuses, he would have all four of their heads on their own silver platter with their names engraved in gold to label them. He was after all, big on his students on being both well mannered and following the rules like good little boys and obviously they hadn't been permitted to go anywhere else besides Central Square with their limited permission to stay out past curfew. But he had also told them it was more than likely going to be a very long exhausting night for him, seeing how he had many overdue documents to complete and also that the fact that he wasn't going to be able to go to the academy until sometime tomorrow's late evening breems.

So for the fact that he wasn't able to see them arrive back at the school in person, so they were specifically ordered to call him once they got home. However they were warned not to stay out too late unless they wanted their recharge pattern to be out of whack and for them to be overhauled back to their dorm rooms sometime during the next orbital cycle. And there was that father figure that he was to them again, but sometimes, somethings it was best to give out little white lies to the person who meant so well to them and to go against the rules for the safety of another's life even if it was someone they didn't even know. Because what innocent life deserves to be taken, constructed cold or not.

Checking over their equipment one last time before setting out to the location of where the next murder was about to come into play they also decided to check their short and long range communications. And if their sources were accurate-another Outlier brother of theirs-than the next victim was to be committed to a death sentence in the third building out of the three at the point of the coordinates, and that building was the one smack in the middle of the two. Research being done that the mech who lived there was just a good business selling chronometer maker. Swiftly the four of them were quickly off once everything was checked over and accounted for-for like the eighth time-as they drove down to the southern side of town in their "borrowed" Enforcer equipped bikes. And they all had to admit, the ling on those things were a smooth beauty.

"How much longer until we're at the ETA RV Trailbreaker?" Windcharger inquired in calm tone. It was probably the most serious he's ever been in a long shot. Normally he was the most carefree mech they had all ever met out of every other student who attended the academy. The Levitator obviously didn't seem to have a very lot of goals in his life to be taken seriously about, unless you counted napping to that list as a straightforward goal, then yeah, that was pretty much accomplished everyday in either the library or sometimes in the crystal garden that had been stationed to be grown in the back of the academy. He really wasn't the mech you'd see on a heist like this one or in sports either. Maybe a couch cube who's really good at hologames, but not someone who'd turn to this. It was actually quite surprising on how he was acting about this operation, but then again, it was their first real operation that hadn't been solved right away. First time in the field for all of them, what was becoming the them as students? Part time spies or secret Enforcers? They were totally a mess about their life goals now.

"We'll be there in a matter of kliks 'Charger, will you just keep your damned fuses stabilized? We know this is our first real time in the field, but you can at least keep calm about it." Trailbreaker answered with a grunt as they turned a sharp edge and nearly ended up spinning off course but the path was shortly corrected and they were back on track. Yes, the bikes were amazing transportation vehicles with great smooth handling that caused them to drift and glide a bit, but without the proper training? Well let's just say they look like a group of street racers with stolen government property and they could care less about giving damn about the condition they're going to return them in. Nothing calling out suspicious about that alright. There was no reply from any of them as they just continued to follow up behind him.

Sliding to a complete halt they parked about three kliks* away from th location of the soon upcoming murder and they were running out of time. Rushing off they didn't care if they had just suddenly ditched the bikes for anyone to practically steal if they wanted to, they were no more use to them now anyways and they swiftly began to run as fast as they could towards the RV point. As they ran they parkoured anything they literally stood in the way and the race almost seemed like it was too short to be true, but the faster they got there the faster they'd be able to save a life of an innocent martyr.

.::We need some optics in there! Someone give us a visual and stat!::. Skids commanded silently over their private and Trailbreaker dug out a pair of binoculars, zooming in he crouched down behind cover to get a better hiding spot to look. As they awaited Trailbreaker's response to give them info on what was going on inside, they all rushed to their positions. There was two ways both in and out, either the front door or the back. Glitch and Skids were to take the back entrance while Trailbreaker and Windcharger got the front. They were pretty sure that there was no other way inside and besides, if there was, according to the blueprints to the apartment's interior, all berthrooms were on the second floor. So unless the murderer was just going to pop a hole through the roof they doubted there was any other way in. .::What do you see in there?::.

.::I see someone in the lower windows appearing to look like he's making his way up the stairs in a quiet manner, no doubt its the murderer, and then from the top window in the second hab suite to the left there's a mech recharging peacefully so far::. Trailbreaker replied stashing the binoculars back into his bag and sliding down the hill to join Windcharger by the front. .::So that's our cue, let's get this show on the rock and break down a bad guy!::. There was probably a little too much enthusiasm in him for this so called special ops mission, but it was a status boost in their moods about it. And they quickly advanced inside.

* * *

Smoke fumes suddenly filled the room, floating all around for several astroseconds before the gas vanished and he clicked his face guard's gas mask function off knowing there was no need to fear of being put under his own "spell." Walking around the room in a casual manner he kicked over a stand of datapads and they crashed and tumbled, flying across the room and clattering against the floor. The recharging mech didn't even shift as if he were dead already. _Ah, perfect, the gas is working,_ the mech thought with a hidden grin, _welp, time to get to work on making you into a masterpiece you worthless constructed cold bag of scum_. Drawing out his knife he was about to make the first cut when a hook of some sort wrapped around his wrist and he was yanked back with brute force, his weapon flying out of his grasp and sliding away to hide under the berth.

_What was this?! Had he not have known that someone else was here in his next victim's home! No one else had been here before! He knew he should of checked all the rooms! _Looking back he saw a young mech with a paint scheme of blue and black, his left servo was of course, the grappling hook that tightly wrapped around his wrist and pulling him back with great strength. Letting out a low snarl he yanked back the same way the young mech had done to him and he stumbled forward a few short steps. _Grappling hook, not always the best choice, especially against a much stronger opponent such as himself. _However he was holding off on his own fairly well, in fact he seemed like he was trying to lure him out of the room. Smirking he knew that this kid wasn't going to be able to do anything about it, he was way too weak to pull him out all by himself, and besides, he had more than one knife and he could easily cut the cord to the grappling hook anyways. But then again, there was no way the kid was just going to let it go even if his tool had been cut, he'd most likely ignore it and charge into the attack like a moron. _Basic instincts to protect himself and his friend from danger, cute._

They both stood there at a complete stalemate, but it wasn't long when he had pulled out a gun from his bag and aimed it at the younger mech who didn't even flinch from the sight of the deadly weapon. It was like he wasn't scared of death or maybe it was just his dumb young heroics had gotten to his head so he thought that he couldn't be killed from a bullet wound. Seeing a mini maxtrix mark on the younger mech's face he understood the sense now. _A Primalist follower, no wonder why he's not scared, he thinks Primus would save him if he is to die, ha, like that'll ever happen._ He fired.

* * *

Skids saw the blast speeding towards him, directed straight at his chassis, a shot to the spark, but he could care less as he attempted to pull the murderer forward again, but the stance his opponent was giving him was putting off a large amount of deadweight and he knew that the killer wasn't going to be going anywhere. As the blaster shot inched closer to his chassis Trailbreaker jumped out from a side room and held his servos up in a defensive posture, large clear hexagons rapidly formed a barrier between them and the shot that had been fired, a force field for protection and it had taken the blast for them. Nodding his gratitude to the black semi red trimmed mech who just returned the nod and continued to hold up the force field, but that wasn't going to last very long, after awhile it would feel like his spark was burning through his chassis and he would have to stop.

Pulling as hard as he could he eventually stumbled backwards nearly falling on his aft to be catch up the wall as he felt and saw his grappling hook retract back towards him, and as he reeled it in he was surprised it hadn't been cut off from the rest of it, all in tact. Then the loud slamming of the door followed by the many locks clicking into place he stood back up. Calling out, Glitch dashed forward and went to unlock them for busting the door down was too brutal of a way in and it would take too much time. And after exclaiming several painful; "ows!" the door unlocked and slid open, the four of them dashing into the room and tackling the murderer across the room.

* * *

"Okay, how in the Pit did four of our bikes get way out here?! With no driver and no one seeing them drive off in the first place!" Tumbler shouted out his questions loudly as Orion Pax walked over to both him and Prowl. The Pragmatist was checking over all the equipment and also making sure that the bikes hadn't been sabotaged or damaged in anyway, in which they were surprisingly. "And don't you think that its a little odd how none of the equipment has been tampered with or stolen or damaged. Its as if whomever had taken them were only using them as a fast source of transportation." Prowl stood up frowning, they really didn't have time for him to rewind what had happened here or where whomever had taken them had gone off to, they just needed to find the answers quick before something bad was going to happen.

"Well its probably in our best intentions if we're to split up and see if we can find any trails or clue as to where the drivers might have gone off to." Orion suggested, brother Prowl and Tumbler nodding in agreement to his statement. For, if they were to check all the general directions that the bikes hadn't come from, they're most likely going to be able to cover more ground and if they're lucky, find out who it was without having to wait for Prowl to rewind the events. "Alright then, let's split up." And they were off.

* * *

"That's it! I've had enough of you brats getting in my way!" The mech yelled shooting yet another object out of the air that Windcharger had thrown at him to distract the killer while Glitch was busy dragging the victim from the room who still remained unconscious and unharmed due to their efforts. And it was surprising to even themselves of how they still remained to be majorly unscathed, though their plating was a bit cut and burned from the shots and knives they had taken while trying to dodge in the cramped small area of the hab suite. "So if I can't complete my damned mission without having to kill all of us, including myself! Than I might as well do it in one shot!" _Well now that didn't sound good at all_. The killer was quick to dig through his bag and he pulled out a mini homemade bomb, clicking the red button and releasing it with a crazed smirk.

"Well slag." They all said as the room exploded.

* * *

"What in Primus' name-No, there's no time for questioning things right now Orion, you've got to move and find out!" The well known "super cop" said to himself as he rushed over to the location of where the explosion had come from, calling Prowl and Tumbler who had to seen and heard it to meet up with him there and also that there was no time to waste. Innocent civilians may have been caught up in it and could be trapped, hurt and possibly be dying or dead from the impact of the blast's radius.

"Roger that, we'll be there in a few kliks." Prowl said over his , Tumbler giving the same response as well.

* * *

Skids coughed out smoke as he began to slowly wind himself and Trailbreaker up to safe grounds, there was a pit below them and his grappling hook wasn't long enough in length to go down that far. The Force Field Outlier had been knocked out for a complete loop as he had put up his biggest shield yet to counteract against the bomb's blast, the murderer was surely dead, all there was left of them was part of his exterior skeleton. Lucky for Trailbreaker though, Skids had been lucky enough to grab hold of him as the floor collapsed beneath them, but he was sure that the piece of the roof his hook was latched to wasn't going to hold out for much longer. And the status of both Windcharger and Glitch along with the martyr were completely unknown to him and he wasn't about to multi task and attempt to call them through the communications network between them. So he shouted instead, hoping.

"Windcharger! Glitch! Someone, anybody! Please answer me!" The trainee Theoretician called out as he noticed the part of the roof he was latched onto was beginning to crumble and small piece of it and dust began to chip off, it was really going to break any moment from now. But there was no reply that was given to indicate that their other two brothers were okay and he fear that the worse had come. Looking around he was too scared to calculate a new outcome, to think of an alternative route to get over, he felt that this was going to end more than just badly. And to think about how Senator would feel if he found out they were hospitalized or dead, the last time they had even spoken to him was telling him a small little lie, and to think that was probably the last time they were going to ever talk to him again, it was regretful.

Optics going wide the hook slipped off as the piece of the roof broke off from the ceiling and they fell only to be caught by an invisible plush magnetic field that slowly hovered them back up onto the top floor and they were plopped, almost gently, onto the floor away from the edge. Windcharger's arms flopped down next to him as he sat up right against the far wall, he looked extremely tired though he and Glitch along with the victim still remained unharmed from the blast no thanks to Trailbreaker who was still knocked out of his wits and senses to reality.

"Hey Skids?" The Levitator asked.

"Yeah?" Skids answered.

"Senator is going to blow more than a fuse."

"Yeah..." The sound of breaking glass from the room behind them had alerted them and Glitch was quick to respond by locking the door. The three of them panted, frozen from fear and they were afraid, truly afraid. Wondering if that mech was still alive and how he could even **be** alive after blowing himself up. But instead of gun shots being fired or the someone slamming into the door to try to ram it open, there was instead just a soft knocking. They were know filled with confusion but their joints relaxed a bit. _Was it a trick to lure them out and to open the door? _

"Its alright, I understand that you're scared, but I promise and assure you that I'm not going to hurt you." The mech behind the door called out, honest tone, serene, familiar. Glitch gave Skids a look, silently asking if he were to have approval to open the door or not, and what their next move was going to be be if they're to run. But Skids nodded a yes for his answer and he unlocked it, slowly opening it. Hesitating a bit, Orion Pax walked in to see the five mechs sitting and laying on the floor. Four young ones, familiars huddled together mainly in a protective position around the one who was knocked out. Senator Shockwave's academy students, and then there was the older mech, probably the mech who was going to be murdered and these four must have done something about saving his life. But judging by their tense position, they now seemed to be protecting each other more than the other. The mech was an outsider to them. He crouched down next to them, being on optic level with them. "Hey, you guys look like you're tired, and you're all scratched up, I think Senator Shockwave might have a fashion overload if he sees you guys in this condition."

They laughed it off and smiled as they started to point out the flaws in each other's paint and argued lightly about whose paint was worse than the other's. Orion smiled to himself as the three continued to chat about it, it was a way of lightening up a traumatic mood. By saying something funny or making a joke or taking about something off the related topic of what had just happened or what was going on was a helpful way to ease down the tension, it was a very helpful thing. Two others soon joined them in the broken down hallway, but the three still awake students hadn't seemed to have noticed Prowl and Tumbler's presence, or that's what it appeared to be.

"Come on, we'll get you guys cleaned up and you can stay the rest of the night at the police station. Don't worry you're not in any trouble we'll take care of the rest." Orion offered and they looked at each other, shrugged and agreed. However Prowl had other plans for them, questioning was certainly going to be a task for them to complete with these bots, he just knew it.

_ And they still haven't called Senator yet..._


	8. Overwhelming Odds

**_-Chapter 8-_**

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**A/N: I really got nothing to say besides guest stars and well, yeah. Beware this chapter is extremely long :)**

**Guest Starring: Prowl, Tumbler, Dai Atlas, and Proteus(he's a bit of a jerk :P)**

* * *

He didn't exactly like the sudden strange disappearances of his students and nobody can just go "poof" all of a sudden, even if the Functionists were after them there would have been a sign or something, a path they would've taken and somehow made contact with him. And they should've called in by now, actually they should of called in several joors ago, or at least someone else from the academy should have. It was frustrating really how it was almost the morning breems and no one had yet contacted him to tell him, yeah, they're back and super tired so they headed of to be or whatever! It made him mad but even his boiling rage couldn't be outmatched from the worry that clouded his judgement, and he swore he was going to end up breaking the datapad he was holding in two if he didn't relax his servo joints. His Senator friend, Dai Atlas seemed to have taken notice to his frustration and he strolled in with caution.

"Well, Shockwave you seem to be more-stressed out this morning." He commented trying his best to avoid using a string of long sentences that he normally did that would end on off topics to relieve his friend, but he seemed the need of more support than avoiding whatever was the problem. And honestly this was probably the first time he had seen his friend this overwhelmed about something. Normally he was just bummed out from work and overcooked from reading too many reports and sore from the heated arguments that felt like psychical battles through the power of words. The smaller jet just face planted the desk as he still continued for the call he was waiting for all night. Maybe he had fallen in recharge at some point during the night and that's when they had called him, but still, he would have records of missing a call and possible message left.

But there was nothing and he groaned as he checked through all his messages and call histories. Without any given warning a message popped up on his HUD and he jumped, nearly falling out of his chair but Dai Atlas had luckily been there to catch him and help him sit upright again. There was questions as if he were okay and he replied a simple yes, just that he had simply had a sudden message pop up and it had scared him for a brief second. Nothing to worry about and he sighed with relief expecting it to be one of his students. But it wasn't, it was from his officer friend Orion Pax. And really he didn't wish to answer to whatever info from their investigation was going but then again he was anxious to know if maybe the so called "super cop" had seen his students anywhere the night before. Little did he know that the notice was actually about them until he opened it up and he read it.

_-.::Hey Senator, I just wanted to let you know that its now officially, case closed. Four of your students had somehow gotten ahead of us in our investigations and had taken care of the job for us! Really they're truly talented lads you've got there, though it did get a little rough and they got a little scratched up in the process of their secret special ops mission, so we took them down to the police station eight or some blocks away from the Senate building in case you wanna go see them while they're being mended to and resting up. Reply back if you ever get the chance::.-_

"**THEY'RE WHAT?!**" Shockwave roared out in disbelief, anger, confusion, worry and well, a lot of other emotions that had just come flowing out of him like a river, Dai Atlas titled his helm to the side from the sudden odd response he had honestly not been expecting at all. And maybe it was best if he weren't to ask but his curiosity was truly getting the better of him and he really did wish to know what the problem was so he could help sooth it down a bit. But judging by the reaction and the tone it was probably wise if he just stayed out of the affairs that didn't concern his presence to mingle there. And with that Shockwave bolted up from his seat and marched out of the room in a fiery rage that even Senator Proteus can't get by.

* * *

Skids really hadn't been expecting to find himself waking up in the medical ward at a police station nor had he expected everything that had happened last night to be real or true. Just that he had some crazy exciting dream that if they had been normal mechs without Outlier abilities they'd be dead or in stasis lock for who knows how long. But everything that had happened had truly happened. And as he sat up he felt sore and exhausted but he was able to prop up on his elbows and look around the room he was in. Glitch was sitting patiently in one of the chairs beside the berth and he wondered why he wasn't also resting, yes he hadn't been damaged as much as himself and Trailbreaker but he could still lay down and sleep it off, but he wasn't.

"Hey! You're finally out of that little dreamland of your's Skids!" Glitch said, an obvious smile was in his voice as if he had been worried sick that the blue black mech had undergone into a stasis lock, but he was glad to see that his brother was awake now. The super learner scanned his gaze around room taking in his surroundings. Four berths filled the room in their own corners, but only he and Glitch were in the room, where was Windcharger and Trailbreaker? "Look, before you start asking your questions faster than you can sputter them out," his attention was now back on Glitch. "'Charger and 'Breaker had already woken up a while ago before you did and seeing how they were immediately out about about-well they were taken into questioning about last night."

"QUESTIONING?!" Skids cried out as the words burned him right to his spark. There was horrors behind those words and Glitch frantically began to try to calm him down so he wouldn't risk getting himself hurt anymore than he already was. The poor trainee Theoretician was hyperventilating and shaking straight down to his spark's chamber with fear. What Outlier wouldn't be afraid if they were taken into questioning. They were targeted by Functionists as a flaw of nature that should be tested on like cybermice to see what made them tick, what was the source and cause of their abilities and see if it could be twisted and manipulated into something that they wanted it to become. Glitch held up a claw to Skids' chassis and laid him back down so he could attempt to regain control over himself.

.::Skids! **Skids you have to calm down! **Its okay! Its all okay! They don't know that we're Outliers, you need to take a deep breath and calm down before you cause the spark rate machine to start beeping and attract attention to yourself!::. Glitch warned and Skids began to do just that, taking in deep long breaths before slowly ex-venting them and calming himself down as he desperately clung to Glitch's claws, for the mech's original servos and actually his whole original frame had been taken away from him long ago and replaced with who he is now. He was an obvious victim of Empurata, taken off the streets because he had been one of those who had been constructed cold rather than being forged. The acts from the Functionists were very racist towards a lot of Cybertronians. All from the top of the list from your alt. mode, how one had been created, if they're an Outlier or not to low life criminals. And if it continued it wouldn't be long until they're all eventually smited out from the rules and laws of their planet's nature. And after a while, he was fully calmed down now.

"You okay there buddy?" Glitch asked with concern as he didn't mind that Skids was still clinging to him for what seemed to be dear life itself. Though, Skids wasn't normally the mech who'd just be pulled aside and be inspected for some sort of "magical" ability unrelated to his alt mode or to see if he was a bot who had been constructed cold-and for a fact it had been noted by not only himself but medical records as well that he had in fact, been forged-, but if the Functionists were to ever find about about his super learning abilities he'd be labeled just like the rest of them. Test subject number whatever was next on the list to go off from and he certainly be the first to undergo the horrors of The Institute.

"Hey Glitch?" Skids suddenly blurted out his question with a final huff as he let go, sitting up once more he looked right at the orange red mech who's EM field was giving off a puzzled presence that floated between the two of them.

"Yeah buddy? What's up?" He replied.

"How much do you like the sounds of an escape rescue mission?" Glitch's EM field sparked up with a high amount of excitement answering his question. "Okay, get ready to going home very soon!" Might as well get out of there the fun way, besides, if they're being question there's no doubt about it that they'd be able to leave right away anyways. Plus if the police were to ever try taking them while they were at the academy, havoc isn't the right word so to speak of what would happen next.

* * *

"I'll repeat this one last time so you can get that into your thick CPU processor already. How did you and your friends know where the murderer was going to strike next?" Prowl questioned him in a deep cold serious tone but the red black mech didn't even flinch. Truly when they had found that group of students laughing at Orion's jokes he thought it was going to be easy to get info from them, but then something back there told him otherwise that they were going to be the most difficult questioning case than anyone else. And because Orion and Roller were the ones taking over the situation he was stuck doing this job instead of "rewinding time" to see what had really happened. And he still just sat there tipping back in his chair-and the Pragmatist swore he was going to end up falling over at some point-with his arms crossed and that same blank look he had been giving him for the past few breems now.

"And I'll say my answer again, it was just dumb luck. We just happened to be there when we saw that this mech pick the lock and walk into that mech's apartment." Windcharger lied as he adjusted his magnetic field on the tipping of his chair. He was a professional liar and he tended to fare better when he was relaxed, however the guilt of lying to Senator was eating away at him and he wasn't sure just how much longer he could play this game without something important slipping out. Though, he was entertained by how many times the officer had that look before walking about of the room and started yelling about how this was wasting his time and that he had better things to be doing than this. Thinking those thoughts there was a quirk of a smirk that played on his lip's plating and it seemed to have caught his attention.

"Oh and what's so funny? Do you really find this situation you're in amusing?" Prowl's voice was rising slightly as he felt anger boil up through him, and then _it_ suddenly happened. He felt as if he had literally been flicked in the back of the helm from some invisible nonexistence force and he looked behind him just to make sure he wasn't going crazy, but nothing was there. Maybe this kid and his tricks were getting to him, but his actions must have caused itself to be a source of laughter as he heard the younger mech snicker and he glared at him, watching him roll his optics and shake his head as if Prowl was some sort of idiot making mistake after mistake like a fool. A class clown, that's what this guy was right here. "Do you find my actions amusing? Is that it?!" He slammed his servos against the table and Windcharger frowned, he didn't like being yelled at and because of that he purposely pulled Prowl's chair out from under him and he burst out laughing again, oh the officer had more than just fire in his optics now.

"I should have warned you, the more you move the more you edged forward in your chair, I'm not surprised you fell! Ha ha!" Windcharger barked a laugh out at his own lie, coolant building up and he swore was going to start crying from the pranks he was playing. He was bored and he always had hobbies, even if the one he was playing those hobbies on was an Enforcer of the law such as this one. Because honestly, if he wished it to be so, his magnetic field could easily be invisible instead of its normal bright pinkish-purplish glow it gave off.

* * *

"I do not have time for your games Proteus! I must go, this **is** important!" Shockwave nearly yelled and oh how he just wanted to rip the other Senator's head off his wretched body, he was always getting on the jet's nerves. Proteus crossed his arms and frowned at him, and Shockwave knew that the other was silently thinking to himself about the jet's rash behavior to be quiet rude for his position as a high classed representative of Iacon, he was always like that and it annoyed them both. "Look, I'll be right back, I just need a few joors out in town. I need to take a break to rest, and yes I am being a little grumpy but that's because I've been cooped up in my office all night with no recharge time and staying up to finish my reports! But please, the meeting isn't until this event and you can count that I'll be there! I just need to stretch my wings a bit!" Proteus huffed out a long sigh.

"Fine, but you have better not have anymore of your outbursts today or I will not hesitate for a single second to kick you out of **my** Senate, do we have an understanding Shockwave?" He cringed as the jet nodded and he shooshed him out of the building.

_Ha, his Senate? It was the Prime's Senate not his...But then again, Proteus was the closest Senator out of the bunch to Nomimus Prime...That might mean big trouble for me if I don't behave myself..._

"Alright, thank you." He sighed as he walked out, finally accomplishing the task of being about to freely stroll out the building, though...He was still on a time limited.

* * *

The two of them didn't even talk, not after he had asked all his questions and didn't even get a single answer to any of them, not even a look and ever since then they had been having his staring contest for quite a long while now. Though it was impossible to tell what exactly the younger mech was concentrating his gaze upon with that red visor of his, but then again, Tumbler was wearing a visor of his own, along with a face guard to match it. But he knew exactly who and what he was looking at right now. A kid. He was looking at a kid who had survived a frontal explosion from a homemade bomb and lived, only suffering from it by being knocked out and caught by his friends. Now that was saying something.

And now he was wondering why exactly did Prowl want to take these kids in for questioning, after all they **were** just kids. Lucky kids, that was for sure. But judging by how the kid before him obviously didn't want to talk it was another sign of him just wanting to go home from a long night that just had to carry on into the next day because Prowl didn't think they should, because they're too special for whatever talents they have to just let them walk out with a pat on the back and a stay safe. No, he thought there was something totally different behind the story, something that was clearly unreal. Sometimes, sometimes the Pragmatist was just a little too edgy about things...

They just wanted to go home and honestly, he wouldn't be surprised in the least if they were to retaliate against them because of it. More than likely they're probably traumatized in one way or another from the event but they just want to act strong enough not to show it. For, who wouldn't be traumatized if they came face to face with a murderer and instead of running away they fought back to save a life that almost got them killed in the process. Scratched paint or not, those guys deserve more than just a golden metal, credit and recognition. The most important thing they deserve is a thank you and every single last right to just get up and walk away from his police station and never have to talk about what had happen ever again. That's what had happened to the martyr after he had woken up. Situation explained, relocation for a new home and he was on his merry way, why couldn't they get the same sympathy?

_Oh that's right, because Prowl doesn't think they should..._

Sometimes-well actually more than **just** sometimes-Prowl could be a real jerk about things. Slouching down in his chair a bit he crossed his arms in a comfortable position when the alarms suddenly rang out.

_Yep, I knew that was going to happen sooner or later..._

Trailbreaker looked up at Tumbler with a questioning presence popping up in his EM field, though it was a lax one as if he had expected this to happen no doubt. Tumbler shrugged it off and pulled the keys to the door from his side compartment in his left forearm, sliding it over the table to the kid. Catching it was easy enough and he looked back at the officer and nodded his thanks before getting up and went on his way to leave.

_The kid deserved that much anyways._

* * *

"Okay, seriously this is really more than just a **little **ridiculous now don't you think?" Glitch said as he locked down another door behind them as Skids fired his grappling hook at another officer to steal his stun gun away from him and knocked him out with his own weaponry. "I mean come on! Look at this map! Where the frag is room B77?!" And from what appeared to have been a voice activated coding command, the mini portable holomap he was holding arrange a glowing red line path to room B77. "Oh wow...I hate this thing so much..."

"Maybe you should have insulted it a little earlier, maybe then it wouldn't have been a complete jerk. Now come on, enough of that, Windcharger is probably the one who was stationed there, right? Well he's probably gotten bored already completely right out of his mind to that he had more likely '_magically_' busted the door down or something-or he could be sleeping through the alarms." Skids answered as he reeled his grappling hook back. It wasn't very often that he got to use the tool and he almost seemed completely out of practice with it until the other night being the first since he hadn't used it in nearly a good few stellar cycles or so on. Looking over the map at the map, B77 was at least four levels below them..._Wow this place is huge..._ "Glitch are you afraid of heights?"

"No, why do you ask?" The orange red mech replied curiously and Skids pointed the window and the one optic mech gave him a few blinks before shrugging. "Well, its way better than getting stuck in an elevator. And I see your point about it being a faster route way down. But can your grappling hook go that far down? I mean, that's probably a good seven meters or so."

"No, but I do plan on getting an upgrade to get a longer rope on this thing pretty soon, so for now, we're going to have to book it and jump before those guys get the doors open, and plus, I can't stand elevator music anyways."

"Fair enough haha." Glitch laughed knowing fully well that they'd be driven insane by the elevator music more than the jump. "Welp, I'm ready when you are."

* * *

Trailbreaker walked down the long corridors of the hallways next to the windows to the outside world in a casual manner as he knocked out the officer he walked by and if they got too close, he'd just push them back with a blast of his force field. Staring up at a map on the wall he began to chart out a path to the existing route he was going to take when a group of officers came rushing towards him, yelling at him to put his servos in the air and he looked at them, bracing his force field for the incoming impact that was going to hit his shield at any moment. However before that were even a mechanometer from him both Skids and Glitch came crashing in through the window and they literally pinballed the officers over and out as they came in. Those crazy nutheads were really having fun with this and he smiled, glad to see them anyways. But no Mr. Magic Arms with them? Come to think about it, they were probably on their way to go get him.

"Oh, well hey there Mr. Force Field, ain't it a surprise to see ya 'round here. Gone for a nice stroll have you?" Skids called out to him with a grin plastered onto his face. "Wanna come and help us rescue Mr. Magic Arms' aft?" And then there was their funny dorky little nicknames again, but it was really coming from Skids? Who in Primus' name drugged him and what did they drug him with? Because whatever it was, it surely put him in the best of moods.

"Who are you and what have you done with Mr. In Kind Theoretician?" Trailbreaker joked and the three of them began to crack up. "Well, good day to you sir, I see we've gotten Mr. Electricity Disrupture to laugh and might I say, a mighty fine good stroll I've been on now." They roared out laughing even more than before as Trailbreaker used a deep voice that was making him sound super old. Yep, they were just your average everyday kids who attended a highly advanced academy that was secretly a safe haven for those with a little extra _special_ to them. "Oh and what a lovely orbit I must add, how was your flight?"

"Better than my last but the service might I add was terribly slow, I didn't get my drink!" Glitch replied in a high pitch tone of voice that an officer who had just woken up looked at them funny before Skids kicked him unconscious. They laughed a bit longer before settling down and Skids wiped away a few drops of coolant that dared to crease down his face.

"Alright guys, seriously, back on task we got to go save his aft." Skids reminded and Trailbreaker gave him a look.

"Well you don't have to make it sound like you're rhyming." The black semi red trimmed mech said.

* * *

As Shockwave was finally nearing the police station there was already an extremely large group formed outside the main entrance of the building, though that wasn't a surprise, he had already heard the alarms going off just a few blocks away from here. Seriously, what exactly was going on in there that the alarms were going off. Looking up he saw several broken windows on the upper floors but there was no bodies around so that was a good thing. And surely it wasn't just a drill, not if there were guards outside holding the crowd off from rushing in and seeing what all the commotion was about. Looking around he cursed as he knew he was going to have to fight his way through the crowd unless he wanted to take the risk about trying to fly over to the entrance. Right now, this place was a no fly zone, that was for sure.

Bracing himself he tackled his way into the crowd, shoving his way through and trying to get to the front but it was going to take some time as he was being pushed around back and forth progress was certainly going to be difficult. Checking his chronometer he still had two joors until he had to be back at the Senate building, and he could only hope it'd be long enough. The odds of this were too overwhelming but he wasn't going to let that stop him, he was going to march in there, get his boys and take them home, a stern lecture was going to have to wait until later however.

* * *

"Can I leave yet?" Windcharger asked bored out of his mind as he tapped his digits against the table and Prowl gave him that look again, obviously it was a no. He was positioned up beside the door, gun in hand, on the defensive if someone were to get into the room. Many times had he explained to the younger mech that the officers here were trained to be able to handle any threats on any level and that he should also remain in the safety of this room, for whomever the intruders were were both certainly daring and also dangerous. Windcharger doubted it was real intruders, just Skids, Glitch and Trailbreaker wanting out and taking measures into their own servos. Sighing he quietly went back to his tapping. But it wasn't long until the door slid open and Prowl was on the mech immediately, gun held up to Skids' head. Prowl hesitated.

"If I were you and in your position, I wouldn't even think about pulling that trigger." Skids warned, his tone was dark and dead serious. And even though Prowl couldn't see it because he was way too close and didn't even know it could exist, Windcharger noticed the faint invisible outlines of Trailbreaker's force field. Skids was most definitely more than just safe. "Now, we'll be taking our friend back if you don't mind, unless you want to have a grappling hook harooped into your face, than sure." Okay, now that was little harsh but Prowl backed off and lowered his gun motioning Windcharger to leave who gladly did so. As the four of them headed down to the main lobby Tumbler rushed into the room.

"Prowl, are you okay?" He asked and Prowl nodded.

"I'm fine Tumbler, now just come on, we've got to move out!" The Pragmatist said still determined even though he had just been threatened not even five kliks ago.

"Prowl enough of this! They're just kids and they want to go home! How would you feel if you were being held against your will right after a traumatic event from just the other night? Just let it go!" But he didn't and he wasn't going to, not without someone with a higher rank ordering him to stand down from this.

* * *

The four of them slid into the mainly lobby covering Glitch as he accessed the main computers door systems and forced them all to close and shut down. After doing so, Skids shot his grappling hook up and swung himself onto the upper deck of the main floor, kicking a cop unconscious as he landed. Windcharger was rapidly throwing objects left and right with invisible giants magnetic servos and knocking the remainder of the officers on the ground floor out, Skids ended up doing the same to those up top.

"Um guys, we've got a problem." Trailbreaker commented loudly and they all turned and looked at him, Skids jumping down from the deck to join them as Shockwave walked in and he didn't seem too happy about what was going on. His gaze fell upon them and they all scattered and dove behind desks as if they were being shot by pure lasers of rage. Peeking out from their hiding places Shockwave had his arms crossed and he was tapping them as he waited for them to come crawling out and slowly they did so, slow and full of shame as they lined up in front of him, staring at the floor because they refused to meet him optic to optic.

"Well what do you have to say for yourselves?" He questioned them sternly and looked off to the side or rubbed the back of their helm, disappointment was raising in their small group of four but no reply was given. "Because honestly, I think you've done pretty well, even with the overwhelming odds you came face to face with." Now they were confused.

"Okay, what?" They all questioned baffled at his reaction.

"I'm saying I'm impressed, you took down a murderer and saved a life, though, with a lot of damage involved that is I think you did pretty good." Shockwave clarified and they looked up at him with big optics and he patted them each on the helm lightly. "Come on, seriously, unlock the doors, I was coming to get you guys anyways you didn't need to go all AWOL on the whole police department, especially when you already knew that they didn't stand a chance against you. And because you did it for a good cause, I'll let your lying slide just this once." They were all surprised at this now, how he **wasn't** mad in the slightest, not about them lying, not about them getting into trouble and not even about how they pretty much took out the entire police force? Looking at Glitch he cautiously walked back over to the main computers and unlocked all the doors and shut down the alarm system while at it. Both Prowl and Tumbler were the first mechs to walk in and oh Prowl looked pretty steamy there.

"I SHOULD ARREST ALL OF YOUR AFTS RIGHT HERE AND NOW FOR THAT LITTLE STUNT YOU PULLED!" Prowl shouted and Skids aimed his grappling hook at him but Shockwave lower the Outlier's arm so the officer wouldn't get shot in the face by a very sharp object. Noticing Shockwave's presence Prowl suddenly cleared his throat and went into a calm kind manner. "Senator, we need to talk..."

_Well now the odds were certainly overwhelming..._


	9. Arguments Are To Be Held

_**-Chapter 9-**_

* * *

** A/N: Prowl was being a real jerk. But anyways short chapter just to recuperate while the plot begins to rise again :) I'll have a rise fall rise fall thing in between and maybe if we're lucky I'll write out a funny intermission on their next "field trip" :) By the way, I made up a game I mention here, I call it "Revolons" it's practically like Cybertronian Monopoly XDD Also I seemed to have forgotten that Senator got a new paint job in chapter 3 XD**

** Guest Starring: Prowl**

* * *

"You're **not** going to have them arrest Prowl!" Shockwave warned with stern beyond dead harshness in his tone as he slammed his servos against the table as he spoke to the officer who stood before him just across, as if the table had acted as a barrier, but the Pragmatist didn't even flinch against his wraith. He didn't really care what rank the law Enforcer was or not, but he was still a Senator and these were his students he was defending. His high position in society was always going to give him the upper hand on the winning edge due to the fact that this wasn't another Senator he was up against. Even if the officer didn't agree with him, these bots-bots apart of his family-had done the right thing.

"Public collateral damage, getting into official affairs not concerning them instead of having reported in the information they had gather and took matters into their own hands endangering not only themselves but the lives of others. But also they broke into a crime scene-yes I do take note in recalling that-and of course stealing Enforcer equipment. And of course, I just can't forget how they all single handedly were somehow lucky enough to disarm an entire department of highly trained officers! Doesn't that strike you odd in the least? Must I continue my list? No? Then I'll continue with my opinion that they deserved to be punished in some way. Maybe yes, not something as harsh as being arrested but as least help repair the sector they had caused to blow up in the first place!" The Pragmatist revved his protest at him clearly enraged at the thought of just letting them go, Shockwave clenching his fists wondering if the mech that stood before him had any clue they had just risked their lives-even with the consequences of the damage-to save another. Heroism is something that should be respected, especially in a manner such as this one, besides the state had more than enough money to rebuild the sight from its funds, but it was unlikely that was going to come out from him.

"I **am** still a Senator to represent the state of Iacon along side Proteus Prowl, you will mind yourself to remember that fact well. And you will heed down to what I have to say about what should or shouldn't happened to them because they're still under **my** wing of protection in this affair until they graduate, and all others concerning them will come to me directly. So you may argue you all you want, but this is a losing battle because you know for a fact that I can make it up to me whether they're to be punished or not as if so, what their punishment would be." Shockwave flared overpowering the Pragmatist in the heated words that squashed him under the jet's mighty heel. _What was he thinking anyways? Going up against a Senator was a high risk he was waking, he could lose more than just his job if he wasn't careful about his actions or what he was to say, especially about these mechs, some of the mechs that the jet most cared about. _

"And what are you planning to purpose and insist to serve their said due?" Prowl questioned with a huff of a sigh, calming down his tone to lesson the Senator's wraith, though his voice pattern was back to normal again, his door wings however, gave a twitch of obvious annoyance to the situation.

"I had plans to just hand you over all the collections of their informational finding that had been acquired to solve this case for you, a case that **you** were obviously struggling in because you were thinking too hard outside of the box. They're far more better than you with this it seem, I mean no offense in my words, but that much knowledge they're collected should give them respect. Besides due to the case being closed the info is probably no more of use to them otherwise, but to you, it'll be excellent for the filing." Shockwave shrugged, unclenching his fists and standing up in a straighter posture as he began to calm down. The jet normally wasn't the one who'd find himself yelling outside of his office debates, especially outside the ones that opposed against Proteus for the civil rights, energy supplies and much, much more.

"And how do you see this to be a punishment to them exactly?"

"I do not see it as of the such, however just," he looked back to the four Outliers who sat respectfully quiet behind them in the waiting chairs, their manners were in full action by this time as they had their heads bowed as they examined the flooring's tile pattern, their servos clasped together and laid in their laps, young professionals they were, it was kind of a adorable to him how they were. Looking back to Prowl he continued. "They're indeed a bit of packrats when it comes to the information they've collected, but I'm sure they don't mind sharing it with you anyways. Besides, taking it away they'll more than likely feel the need to be more...respectful in the sense I suppose, especially if they're to approach a similar event time around."

From the corner of his visual field he saw them peek their glances up but they more returned the gazes to the floor, eyeing each other carefully and making slightly servo motions to signal out conversation. No doubt about it that they were having a personal silent debate with each other over their private , but that was okay, both the Senator nor the Enforcer seemed to have taken much mind to them. Shockwave was of course, fully aware of the lie that was hidden behind his words and only his students knew what the real truth was, but the case was closed anyways, and besides it was more than likely that they had more than just a few boxes hidden away with copies of their so called; "Classified" information anyways. Especially since they knew how Skids was about his things.

"Very well than I agree to your terms, I guess instead of punishment due served we can simply trade it off for the information of how they were able to get ahead of us in our investigations." Prowl noted with a long sigh, but they might learn from the values of what these kids had. "Whatever the study may be, I'm sure we'll note off them wisely about it."

"Good than we have agreement settled. But for now we'll be leaving and come back later with the information. But first off my students need to get some rest and I am required to report back to the Senate for my overdue reports." Shockwave said as he gathered his Outliers up and quickly herded them out of the building. But they were quiet as they walked their way back to the academy instead of driving with Shockwave flying over them like he normal would do to provide a comforting watchful eye. They still were puzzled over that now since the Senator was no longer within the watchful eyes of the police would he release his wraith upon them about their reckless behaviors and actions. He however seemed to have taken much notice to how uncomfortable they were and he halted them, looking up with big optics full of worry and distress but he just gently patted them each on the helm. "Come on now boys, let's go home and have a cube or two before I have to go back to work, maybe we can even start up a game of Revolons." Turning around he once again motioned for his students to follow him and he was expecting to be flanked by them right away.

"You mean to say, you're not mad at us for what we did?" Windcharger blurted out and the jet stopped and face them once again, he seemed saddened by the question that was brought forth to him in his defense, the sadden look cause them to rush over with concern as they circled around him.

"No, I'm not even close to being mad at you, but I was scared when I got the message, I was afraid something terribly bad had happened to you bots, but I was more sad when I found out that you had lied to me..." Shockwave felt like a child in showing his emotions this broadly in front of them. No disappointment or anger, just sadness, sadness that it seemed like he wasn't trusted enough to be let on their plan. Glitch tugged at his arm and he looked at the orange red mech with curiosity as the shorter mech looked up at him with his one optic, big and bold, but concerned.

"Well, we just wanted to be able to protect you from the truth Senator...We're sorry, we didn't intentionally mean to cause you to be sad about what we had done." Glitch explained along with an apology from all of them, however they all looked away, not wishing to make optic contact with the older mech. The purple white trimmed mech gathered them into a bunch in from of him and instead of having them circled up around him and he kneeled down to somewhat level of height for they were still young and they didn't have their adult frames quite yet, so they were still fairly short to him. Embracing them all together in an affectionate tight hug they were swift to return the action to him. And though it was an uncommon or rare thing to see Shockwave among the city limits-especially with his students-there was no doubt about it in his mind that their little hugging scene wouldn't be caught on someone's sneaky little camera and posted all over the newsfeed. However them being used to being on camera with him was normally a daily thing that they had grown used to, they probably wouldn't mind it, but this situation might be a little dramatic to them at the moment.

"I'd rather have know about the truth you were trying to protect me so I could've supported you and your action than having to regret the consequences of what might have happened to you without my knowledge." He murmured softly as they clung to him for another short while longer before they scattered away in an arm's reach away, still closely bunched up together. _Always such a tight knit group, they cared more for each other as brother than friends anyways. _"But hey look now I got a really fancy idea." They gazed at him with curios optics, eyeing him with looks of suspicion but the jet before them just gave a bold grin. "Why don't we race back to the academy, whomever comes in last place-no Windcharger I wasn't directing that comment just to you-has to be painted pink with yellow trim for an hald an entire deca-cycle. However let's set some grounds rules, yes you may use your alternation mode, yes you can use equipment attachments-for example, Skids' grappling hook-, and yes you can try to run the entire way or use multiple strategies for transportation. However if you're to use your _extra special_, you'll be automatically placed in last." Shockwave stated coolly as they all nodded slowly. That was a fair fight, right? A perfectly normal race like normal mech and not as Outliers? Sounds like a challenge.

_** Challenge accepted.**_

* * *

"Hey, now that's not fair!" Windcharger shot out his protest in a heated defense against the others as his arms flew out in the direction of the monitor. "I swear I was inside before Glitch was! I just know it!" They all rolled their optics at him and nodded slowly as if they were talking to a liar or criminal. However he almost did have a point there, and they did have to take a look at the footage from the front entrance security cams because it seemed like a tie when the two came bursting into the building. Though, Glitch had a pede inside before Windcharger's by a mere lucky second and that was the thing that had save the one optic mech from losing the race.

"Well 'Charger, it truly sucks to be you right now." Trailbreaker said bluntly with a shrug as he crossed his arms. He looked over them and stopped at Skids, the trainee Theoretician was giving him with evil grin and he sure didn't like it. The expression from the blue black mech sent a cold chill down his spinalstruts and he shuttered.

"Well, I think its time for a makeover, don't you think guys?" Skids commented will an evil presence in his tone, the Levitator was swift to bolt out of the room as they all chased after him. Following Senator's lead who was holding up the spray paint cans he had taken from his fashion kit just to taunt the running Outlier who disappeared down the corridors but they were hot on his trail. And of course they yelled after him, telling to get his scared little aft back there and suck it up and be a mech, but this little turbofox chase wasn't something he was going to give up on just yet. Especially when everyone looked out of the rooms they were in, dorm or class, even the library and random walking bystanders of the academy watched as they all zoomed by.

_ Nope, because Pit that Levitator can run!_


	10. Race Tracks

_** -Chapter 10-**_

* * *

** A/N: We're gonna do a bit of a short time loop here, but you can still laugh at poor little Windcharger being pink yellow for a good portion of the beginning XD**

** Guest Starring: Blurr :D and Fasttrack!**

* * *

Will you come out of there yet Windcharger? Seriously I'm tired of crawling through the vents just so I can grab my notes from my closet! And Trailbreaker's kicking me out since you're half a deca-cycle is up! Let me in!" Skids shouted as he pounded on the door to his and the Levitator's room, because no doubt about it, he had changed the override codes to the door so no one could get it unless they were able to get in through the ventilation shafts. Ever since they had somehow got past his sneaky poofy magnetic field and after endless joors of painting him it began to flake away slowly since it had no wax coating to keep it in place, though he was too embarrassed to show himself around the academy and he had locked himself away inside their dorm. And of course, orbit after orbit for the last half a deca-cycle, Skids has had to pull many stunts in get inside the room, most ways were more difficult than others though, however it had to be done. "If you let me in, I'll personal scrub you down!"

_Well that's not a bad idea, just, I hope that paint's as easy to scrub as it is to flake..._

The door slid open suddenly and Skids was pretty sure he had won that one expect for the fact of him literally falling right onto his rear end when a box of his notes and belongings was hurled at him and he had taken the hit straight to the chassis. The door was somehow slammed shut-which he didn't even know that was possible since it was a sliding automatic door-and once again, all the locks clicked loudly into place indicating that the door was no longer going to open up, especially anytime soon and he sighed loudly. Now he was out of ideas of how to get inside, but he really no longer needed to get in since he had all his stuff now, but that was besides the point. Windcharger was really taking the situation over dramatically, though he could understand that he was embarrassed about it, anyone of them would. Getting up he decided to say one last thing before he left.

"Well, anyways we're gonna head off to the race tracks later if you wanna come, Glitch was awesome about getting the tickets, ah well, see ya later." And with that he strolled of casually, his next destination was the library to get some more studying in before the high orbit's races began.

* * *

Windcharger had almost snapped the datapad he was holding in two that of course he had been reading for several reasons just to pass the time and also apparently no reason ever since he had locked himself in his dorm. He wasn't about to go out there until the joor was up when he could finally shower the damned paint off him and coat his old frame with a soothing wax and polish coating. But replacing the 'pad would be the least of his worries if he would to snap it, since the technology was so common that it was cheaper than purchasing a bottle of energon from a vending machine.

_Were they really kidding me? What was this? Some sort of joke?! I just went a whole half a deca-cycle painted pink and yellow because I had lost the race! They're horrible..._

But then again he did have to admit he had been cooped up in this small stuffy dorm for a whole half a deca-cycle. Maybe getting out for a little time of fresh air wouldn't hurt him. Shrugging it off as another thing to do on his list he threw the datapad into his box of junk in the corner before leaping off the berth and zooming into the washracks. Surely they wouldn't mind if he got himself cleaned up a joor early did they? Probably not. After all, Skids had just offered to scrub him down, but liek that was ever going to happen, he had magic magnetic force field to create servos to do all the work and cleaning for him...

_ Okay, maybe I should seriously stop using the my abilities for grooming purposes...Ah well it helps me focus! But then again...I do use it a lot more than just for grooming..._

Shrugging, it didn't really matter anyways.

* * *

Skids was browsing over his notes once more when the datapad in his servos was slipped out and up from his reach from an invisible force and he looked over to his right where he saw a familiar red black figure walk in. Windcharger was grinning at him at he tossed around the datapad back and forth in his magnetic field expecting Skids to reach up and grab it, but the slightly shorter mech didn't even seem a little bugged about it in the slightest, but it was more than likely that he had already memorized all his stuff by now anyways. Just a few joors and he was good to go, but he still always keep his stuff around anyways. He really was a packrat-as Senator had stated-when it came to information withholding. But that was fine, information was a powerful valuable thing to keep around, and it always came in handy.

"Nice polish, very shiney." Skids commented and the taller of the two handed him back the datapad, this time in person inside of just hovering it down to him. He seemed to be filled with a lot more life than he had in awhile. His boring story wasn't really one that would make it into the history lessons that was for sure but then again, Windcharger was a secretive mech and his life was pretty dull considering that the most real exciting things he had done had majorly just happened to him over the course of the time before his life in the safe haven of the academy and also the crime they had solved, along with the shorten outbreak of the police department.

"Yeah, well I thought I'd need to be presentable for the races you know, even if we're just gonna go there and watch." _Ah, so that's why he had cleaned up so nicely. _Skids nodded in agreement and gave a shrug, thinking about that maybe he should get himself a nice coat of wax and smooth it down with some polish over it, but it wasn't like he was going to meet Nomimus Prime or something, maybe that was a bit too far, but a polish would do him nicely. His frame needed a bit of a touch up, its been awhile since the last. "So who's all going?"

"Its just going to be me, you and Glitch. Trailbreaker's visiting an old friend up in Helex and won't be back for awhile so, he's gonna miss out on the fun stuff." Skids explained as the Levitator took a seat next to him. Actually expecting more questions to be shot his way he was instead just handed a puzzle cube. The mech before him really hated those things when trying to solve them himself and always liked watching them be solved in return. Rolling his optics he took the puzzle and began to solve it slowly so he wouldn't go too fast for his friend. Just another average day for them.

* * *

The crowed roared out cheering that it was almost audio receptor splitting as the race had finally started. It was the one on one championships between two of the best racers out there to prove to the world who was the fastest there was and this meta-cycle's famous racers were none other than Blurr and Fasttrack. Blurr was the champion every meta-cycle, but sometimes even he took a break every now and then to see who else there was besides him, even though he did have a big self ego in him. The both of them were best friends of the sort and amazing in the racing circuits and probably the fastest there was to be, but everyone knew that unless Fasttrack was to somehow get luck, Blurr was going to win, after all, he was living proof to be the fastest Cybertronian out there. It was pure fact and he was only getting faster by each passing breem. But then again, racers like them were known to be a special; "breed" among Cybertronians since they sparks were able to handle that much speed and still progress on getting faster.

"I know that Blurr's gonna win this meta-cycle, so you might not want to bet with me." Glitch stated happily as he looked over the railing as the two zoomed by, his watch never leaving them as he recorded them. It had taken him a long time to get the credits he needed to buy a few tickets for the race and he was excited about it, something he didn't want to forget. Not to forget to mention that it was a multi lap race and it was rather interesting in how the obstacles would change and new ones would appear when each lap was completed by the two. And even though Blurr was obviously outrunning Fasttrack the red racer was hot on the blue mech's trail, he obviously wasn't going to let himself be outran that quickly or that soon into the race.

As the race continued on it was as if the crowd was going to smother the three mechs to death or fall to their doom as they were nearly being pushed over the railing. It wasn't the best feeling or position to be in and falling into the racing circuits would be a scary experience for anyone, no matter who they were. But this crowd didn't seem to care, whatever got them closer was all that seemed to matter and then Blurr passed the finish line to the final lap and fireworks blasted off into the sky and boomed. Now if only they could talk to them and maybe get an autograph of to, ha, like they were ever going to have that happen. VIP tickets were the most expensive so not many bots could afford them and those who could, well let's just say, they're broke after that for a very long time...

* * *

"Wow! That race was the best! I told you Blurr was gonna win!" Glitch shouted out prodly as he went over his videofeed once more, the lucky feed he had managed to record on a first hand basis without any problems. He was really lucky enough to get the last front row seats and film the whole thing and no doubt about it would he treasure the video forever. Lucky little bot, he deserved it since in reality he wasn't that lucky as a bot. As they headed out to the front door they were one of the very few who weren't trying to get to the racers' trailers for an interview or autograph but that's when they saw the two racers slip out of the shadows and head over to the door, they were looking around worrisome as if they were going to get trampled by a herd of fans, which wasn't a surprise. Those mechs were crazy about this stuff. "Oh hey look, Fasttrack and Blurr."

The two racers stopped dead in their tracks and carefully looked behind them with wide optics. They were honestly looked like they were hoping that no one would see and point them out so they could go sneak off instead of being overkilled by the paparazzi and crazed fans, but, better luck next time. However as they just continued to stare at the younger mech, tension rising up inside their fuel pumps they had expected the three of them to rush over and maybe even tackle them down-or at least try to-, but they just gave a little wave and was on their merry ways. _Wait, what? They weren't going to go insane about getting something signed by them? Well that was an odd reaction..._

"Um...So you mean you're not gonna...Ya know...That thing. The thing everyone else does?" Fasttrack asked and they just shrugged it off like it was nothing. Wow, whomever these guys are they've got a lot of manners and respect, very nice decent mechs. _Unlike those fragging insane fans and newscasts..._

"Nah, we're not exactly like those over obsessed fans, I mean yeah its cool to be talking to you two and all in person, but still. We're the settled type and we understand those who like to keep their space. Anyways, I advise you to take the back routes on seventy-nine if you're gonna go rush off or head off the The Circle unnoticed, not many mechs are back there and they tend to keep themselves to themselves." Skids advised as he drew out a map in the air for them and they nodded. Feeling a little responsible for such kindness Blurr walked over and handed him a small tablet.

"I know this probably doesn't mean much, but here, its one of my first racing metals." Blurr gave a wink. "Keep it, ya know, for being cool and all. Settle." Looking back at Fasttrack he nodded to the red mech and the two walked off casually like the conversation had never even happened. Handing the small tablet to Glitch his EM field puffed up with an excited smile and well, a lot. That was way better than from video feed he had captured on recording, this was something even better! An actual racing metal, and from Blurr to!

"Come on, I think we should get home before Glitch's head blows up or something." Windcharger suggested and they did just that, leading the one optic mech along since he was too busy focusing on his new treasure. Because honestly, he look like he was about to explode or die from happiness at the moment.


	11. Int Day in the Office

_** -Chapter 11-**_

* * *

** A/N: Int. = Intermission**

** Hey look at that, its the intermission I said I was going to do eventually and see, here we got the laughs and giggles that are fully deserved lol. So anyways, I think of energon as a very boring substance of just being a cube or filled glass, so I made a lot more similarities to human food, yay :D Oh btw before you read, here's a heads up, an energon "topple" is pretty much like, Transformer cheese cake XD Not a lot of talking by our little Outliers here ha ha**

** Guest Starring: Dai Atlas, Ratbat(yeah that jerk was a Senator), Soundwave(yay :D) Proteus(trust me, its going to be worth having his jerkiness around here lol)**

* * *

The four of them all sat in complete utter looming silence that lingered over them as they patiently observe the full out heated raging "war" of words of pure laser fire between both their beloved Senator Shockwave and the jerk who sat across the table from him, Senator Proteus. The two high classed Senators were duking it out again with yet another not surprising argument, and it was more than just a little obnoxious how it seemed that Proteus was always seeking out their mentor for an argument even if it wasn't anything political or related, no wonder why the jet always walked in with such a headache, he had to deal with this mech, every, single, orbit. No doubt about it though was this at least the third time they've argued in the past four or five joors, and of course it was an obvious statement about the topic on how they had been granted permission into the Senate office as welcome expected guests under Shockwave's request. But then it was no surprise that Proteus was harassing him because of their presence he was totally against the idea of "_children_" running around the building, and they had rolled their optics at that. Honestly, they weren't that immature, and if they were going to do something they were do it in manner and style gaining Senator Shockwave more points instead of decreasing his status.

As they sat quietly they were all scanning over the wide variety of the assortments of energon goodies that was on the table before them. Plenty of dishes of specially made energon cubes of the tastes, from the welcoming warmth of the broth that sat in a large boel, to a smooth looking topple of a tad side of sweetness stacked upon one another-not to mention that it was the dish on Proteus' plate-, to a small plating of mini cut up cubes with many flavors from sour to spicy to sweet and a lot more than where that had come from. Looking at one another their continued to let their gaze mingle to the point that they were all looking at different things. Glitch seemed to be just drifting off into a light doze, Trailbreaker was more than likely already asleep, Skids was staring out the window, and Windcharger, well who knows what Mr. Magic Arms is looking at...Seriously, just how much longer was this going to go on? It was more than just slightly annoying and it almost made it seem like the younger sparks in the room were more mature than well just, _**him**_. Windcharger seemed to be eyeing the topple on Proteus plate now and the others' gaze soon drifted onto him, wondering actually what his devious CPU was processing to plot out now.

.::'Ey, 'Charger? What are you thinking about right now? You look like you're going to do something::. Trailbreaker questioned over the private communications between them that it almost seemed like the words he was messaging him was like a whisper. However, the message was also without a single notice from the rest of them, popping up on Shockwave's HUD as well for he was also in their little chat room, but he seemed to have discarded it right away. Though, knowing Windcharger it was probably something of a plan that they were all going to have to laugh about later, but sometimes, some things might not be so easy to contain, and the Levitator didn't look so happy about the current situation at all. It was really hard to get the bot mad, or irritated for a matter of fact of him being so relaxed about everything, being serious was one thing, but being mad was on a whole new level.

There was a soft _click_ sound from the direction that Glitch was sitting, but it seemed to have gone unnoticed by the two Senators who didn't even flinch or bother to look at the four Outliers who sat at the table as well. Their battled between words wasn't faltering even for a second, but no doubt about it was it his mini little recording device he liked to take to new places he went. He probably knew more than the rest of them that Windcharger was more than likely to do something that was worthwhile to record and he was waiting for it to happen at any moment now. But then came the thought that it was going to be something, like maybe the table be flipped and everything going flying or something else, whatever it was going to be it was exciting and totally going to be hilarious that the one optic mech was probably going to crop that part of the video for them and send it to the whole academy.

"Shockwave I've honestly have had enou-" Proteus wasn't even able to finish his sentence as the topple that was once on his plate somehow been flung into his face and the others all had huge round optics as they looked at the red black mech. And oh they swore beyond Primus that there was fire blazing around his figure. Looking back to the multicolored mech in which the topple was sliding off his face they had to contain their laughter, and not to mention that Shockwave was spamming their HUD chat room with all sorts of comments, comebacks and jokes he could've said with that stunt the Levitator had just pulled. However he was sending them so fast that they couldn't read them all until it came to a sudden dead stop. "Okay, now who and how in Primus' name just di-" And there went the bowl of broth as well, Windcharger's invisible fire only blazing brighter and farther that if it were real the whole building would have been ablaze by now.

.::Hey, um...Windcharger? You okay over there?::. Shockwave asked cautiously while posting the message into the chat room with a poke file attached to it at the very bottom like he was afraid to get something splat against his own face. Windcharger just looked at him and he nearly fell out of his chair from the flinch he had witnessed at the look he was being given. It was like he was about to turn the whole Senate building inside out and then toss it upside down, and with their luck, it wouldn't be surprising if it were to just suddenly happen how of nowhere. But they still waited for his response, only getting the; "_**Windcharger is Typing**_" on their HUD's chat room window and there was the posted enter.

.::Well if you must know then yes, I'm fine. I was just getting tired of him yelling all the time, seriously, does this guy ever shut up without being smacked in the face with something?::. Shockwave gave an internal sigh and wished that Proteus was a little less loud, especially since his students were here as guests and should be respected as so, but Proteus' nature didn't seem to change even if they were here. And if it wasn't going to risk his job he would have already slapped the sense out of the Senator himself, but if he wasn't going to be Senator Shockwave and return to his scientific job, his funding would be less and he would have troubles to support the academy until it was officially paid off, which wasn't going to happen anytime soon that was for sure, even with his status.

.::Yeah, sometimes I wish that he would learn when and how to shut up, but its honestly in his nature to be like this...::. Shockwave confessed almost as an apology to his students for his rudeness, however Proteus was glaring at him with more than just fire in his optics as he had suspected that the jet was the one who was the cause of his misfortune. Now if only if he knew who exactly the true troublemaker was. And right as he was about to start up yelling and screaming again the entire table flipped, rendering him to be unconscious, and it was actually quite a funny sight to see, but no one dare to laugh, not just yet of course. Shockwave had warned them not to laugh but it was almost to the point where they nearly couldn't help but let a few giggles slip out, even from Windcharger who gave a; "_pfft_" from the results of his actions.

"What is the meaning of all this racket?!" Senator Ratbat exclaimed his fiery ball of a question as he unexpectedly burst into the room, Soundwave was close behind him and holding a stack of datapads for the upper class mech. The four of them automatically realized him of his status as an Outlier, for they did just have that sense about him that told them so about how he was different. But sadly he had been recruited off the streets and was under Ratbat's rule as a simple servant of his with many duties, titles and rights only to a certain degree however, they knew his back story well from what Shockwave had explained to them about the young blue mech. No doubt about it though did the Funcitionistic nature of the purple black mech give one exception to Soundwave, most likely knowing about whatever his ability was to be and more than likely used it for his own gain. The entire room was more than a mess and Ratbat gave a loud audible sigh as he shook his head while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Again, Shockwave?" The jet just blinked at him, surely he would've remembered if he had flipped some sort of furniture before at the multicolored mech, even if he had been in a blind rage he would've seen or heard about the after effects.

"I reassure you-even if you must watch the security feed just to be sure of it-that I have no idea what's going on and how things are just going flying everywhere." Shockwave commented his answer politely and Ratbat motioned Soundwave with a simple nod and in return the shorter blue mech rushed off quietly to the silent request of the Senator. More than likely was it to get a copy of the footage of the room and what really had happened. And while they waited, silence looked over them as they awaited Soundwave's return, the purple black mech walking over and crouching next to the knocked out Senator while the others remained where they still sat from the very beginning of the incident. "Anyways, aside from that. I thought you were in Kaon going official business, it is after all, the city you represent and reside from." The change of topic was something of a relieving one when it came to a situation such as this and the four younger mechs sighed with relief.

"Ah, well yes I was. I've actually just returned from my business just a few short joors ago." Ratbat explained as he lifted the table back onto its stands and he looked at the four quiet mechs sitting together. "Your students are very quiet, surely they're more productive in conversation than this?" They nodded as Soundwave returned and with him was Dai Atlas who held a large projector in hand, but even though the purple mech was prone to lashing out for disagreeing with the presence that his servant had disrupted of another Senator, the kind spark of the larger mech of the group didn't seem to mind it at all. So for now, he would let it slide. "Ah, come over, come over." He motioned them and the two strolled over as Dai Atlas placed the projector onto the table Soundwave clicked the play button and dimmed the lights and the show began.

Flying topples, bowls, assortments and tables. Ratbat found himself laughing at the footage with joy of his colleague being mistreated by an invisible force before he coughed and settled down, crossing his arms. He needed to act professional, but it was replaying and he couldn't help but to dim his optics and a grin spread across his face. _Oh yes, Proteus surely deserved the "beating" that the silver and table had given him, all his yelling needed a cease fire every now and then anyways, he was nothing but a stalemate anyways._

"He fully deserved that." Ratbat commented. "Okay let's drag his aft to the medibay for an inspection, I don't really care if we just-literally-drop him off there, he is a bit of an aft..." They nodded in agreement.


	12. Rain Brings Those To Be

** -Chapter 12-**

* * *

** A/N: I had originally got the idea because it was raining for a few days but then the chapter came out a little later than what I thought it was going to be because of schoolwork so yeah. I think I might start making an official update day like maybe Thursday or Friday but I dunno yet, hmmm**

** Guest Starring: Soundwave, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Ravage and Momus**

* * *

The past few orbits had been fairly gray and gloomy compared to the regular Cybertronian weather. The down pour occurring from outside was the cause of this but it was actually quite relaxing in many senses. The rain was harmless to their rain and it was known for its silentness seeing how there was no real natural background noise to mix in with it and no flashes of light from the sky, only the occasional peek from Alpha Centauri. However the rain was just perfect right now, seeing how it was neither too heavy nor was it too light to be qualified for the title of being a sprinkle, just a lovely pour at its own pace and it was pleasant. Though the weather had been surprisingly unexpected seeing how it normally didn't occur with rain especially this early towards the second season of the meta-cycle, and foremost it mainly came in the periods of times starting up towards the middle and into the end.

On their planet of Cybertron it only had two planetary seasons that of course started with the first of those, radiating the bitter heat days and most stayed inside where the air conditioning could work them down, lessening the risk of them getting a circuit of two fried from the sun's bitter hot rays. And then there came the second season where the weather slowly hovered and loomed over into an overcast cool stage and where it rained nearly every day keeping the planet cool but never freezing. The rain normally rolling into play nearing the middle and ends of the season though it wasn't rare to have a few orbits of showers early in. Though in between the two seasons was the lovely swallow weather in which only lasted about a mega-cycle or so, and personally no matter how short it was it was actually his most favorite times of the meta-cycle.

Setting down his datapad his attention was drawn outside as he watched the droplets of water pelt gently against the window. The pleasantness of the rhythm that plopped and streamed down the windowsill was one of a soothing song, murmuring almost faint whispers to his stressed CPU processor and he placed his chin in his servos, dimming his optics and listening to the beauty of the wordless lyrics that played on and on. The running of the AC in his office merging in with the _music_ being presented to him from the outside world was enough to cause him to doze off into a light trance, him being prone to napping quite often during the second season. And he could of sworn that he could almost feel the water splashing down against his plating.

He hadn't even been aware of his light in the presence of his dark dreamless state until he heard-_scratching_? That really didn't make much sense now did it? What on Cybertron could be scratching at his door? Surely all the door and not to mention all the windows as well in the entire building was closed due to the weather, but also so that small cybercat couldn't come crawling in freely to distract them-mainly himself and Dai Atlas-from their duties. The adorable little things were like free turbofoxes and they were born without creation of being forged or constructed cold. The animals however were made up of the same armor plating as their own, it was strange how they could be sparkless companions. Getting up he decided to check just to make sure he really didn't have to return somebot's lost playmate. Opening the door he came face to face with something he actually least expected to see.

"Ah, Soundwave." He acknowledged the younger mech in a kind tone who was holding a small pile of datapads in his servos, clearly the task for getting the Senator's attention was from another and he looked down. Seeing a larger version of any cybercat, Ravage, the mech who was constructed cold and his spark encased into this odd frame was the source of where the scratching had been coming from no doubt. Another messenger for Ratbat along with the two birds, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw, and the four bots all belonging to the Senator hailing for Kaon, but they were well kept and off the streets so he figured that they really didn't argue much with the task they were given. Crouching down he barely reached out to pet Ravage but he backed away behind the blue mech who still remained silent. More than likely in his training to become the Senator's servant had he learned not to talk unless questioned upon, not even was he to talk when a command was given. Body language was as good as words after all, so he mainly remained in his place on the mute side. "Well I'm just going to assume that in all ends that these datapads are for me, correct?" He was granted a simple nod. "Ah, here let me take those from you then."

Gladly taking the stack he was offered no form of resistance from the younger mech, no argument that he himself should have taken the work to Shockwave's desk personally. No nothing, just silence. The young mech was that of being a careful one, making sure that they were fully intending to do what they had said without a lash out at him, he didn't want to somehow cross anyone in the Senate building, it'll only result in punishments. Thanking him for the delivery he smiled at the shorter mech who still continued to stand there, Ravage by his side, faithful and loyal, both without a single word, awaiting their command to have permission to be dismissed.

_ Now that I think about it, he's just like my Outlier boys. Young, patient, concerned, dedicated, special...No doubt about it, he's more likely to be one of them anyways._

Soundwave flinched slightly as if something had caught him off guard and scaring him in the process or as if he had received a painful hit, but it seemed oddly timed for Shockwave had only just finished his thought about the mech before him being a possible Outlier. _Ah, now how come I missed that hint before?_ Walking back over to the young mech he took much notice to Ravage who was carefully placing himself in between the both of them, taking on a protective stance in front of the blue mech as if suspecting that Shockwave had intentions of bringing him harm. Instead he just motioned the cybercat-mech off to the in a peaceful manner not really wanting to make the situation anymore uncomfortable than it already was, but the black four legged mech didn't stand down even for an astrosecond, and if it were one of the less kinder Senators he'd probably be kicked aside. However he did want to escalate things a bit. Gently placing a servo atop Soundwave's helm he took notice that the younger had offlined his optics and had set his visor to a brighter tone a bit as if hoping that the jet wouldn't notice his rising fear. But he had been around Trailbreaker for so long he could see the signs, so he just patted his helm gently and smiled.

"Now, I'm not going to hurt either you or your friend." Shockwave reassured him, honesty was fluttering around in his tone and the younger looked up at him. With that as his response Ravage settled down but he was still observing the flyer with careful piercing optics. "Now, I know you're scared, but trust me, your secret is more than just safe with me." He winked and continued on with what he had planned to say, the blue mech nodding nervously. "Come on in, we'll continue our conversation in private." Leading him inside the blue mech too comfort in sitting on the couch on the far side of the office and away from the door, Ravage seating himself on the floor next to him. "Do you get out much or lately?" Soundwave indicated him with a nod of his helm. _No._ "Well, why don't I arrange you a day out then? I'll show you my academy, I'm sure my students will have no trouble taking you in with welcoming arms and show you a good time." _Silence_. "Soundwave, do you have any objections or requests?"

"J-Just one Sir...If you can somehow manage it, may I please bring Ravage, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw with me?" He finally answered after a few kliks, his voice was quiet and soft that if it was any lower he'd be whispering. Shockwave nodded and smiled.

"Of course."

* * *

It was surprising just how easily he had been able to persuade Ratbat into giving Soundwave and his companions a day off their from busy errands and duties. He actually didn't even get to finish his sentence to his request before the mech from Kaon had agreed entirely before shooing him off so he could return to his own business. And of course, he even had double checked but he was still given the same response. Aside from the purple black mech being cruel due to his Functionist behavior he was actually quite kind and not like that big of a jerk compared to Proteus, but then again he always did see things differently than the multicolored mech. So it really shouldn't have been a surprise for his kindness, especially one to another Senator-such as himself and others like him with their pacifistic nature-so he kindly obliged. But first thing was first, he had to reschedule his appointment with Senator Momus before picking up the younger mech, because of course he wasn't the one who would just stand up the kind mech who hailed from Helex, not if he could avoid doing it anyways. Knocking on the door he was given permission to come inside and he casually strolled on it.

"Ah! Shockwave!" Momus exclaimed as he looked up from his work and the jet took much notice to the scribbles on the datapads. Notes, reviews, anything that was related to the work before and along with the many reports he was more than likely also piled up on, he was somewhat of a work addict from his past occupation as an Energon Miner back on Luna 2, but he life had changed that one fatal orbit when he and his friend had discovered the spark of a one point percenter. The rarity of the special spark had granted him a free selection of both a new alt. mode and also an occupation. "So, I think that today is yes, our day of what we were going to discuss is it not?" The former miner seemed to hesitate in his words as if he were unsure of them and as if he didn't remember either. But double checking wasn't a bad thing.

"Um, well actually both yes, and no. Yes my presence here is truly and solely about the meeting we were to have, but I'm afraid something had come up and that we're going to have to reschedule this." Shockwave explained and Momus simply nodded not even angered in the slightest, besides, things happen and there's nothing he could do about it, getting angry would be a stupid immature thing anyways, so just going along was just fine. "So I was going to suggest a newer date being, hmmm, possibly in the next mega-cycle or so? Or do you happen to be busy then?" Momus pulled out another datapad from the side drawer of his desk and he looked over it, strolling down in whatever the contents that the device may contain, it was probably a work calendar.

"Ah, nope, I'm free. Thanks for stopping by and telling my though." The humble mech replied with a smile and a wave as Shockwave departed from the office, returning them to the gray mech who sat back down to get back to work.

_ Well now that that's over, time to go fetch Soundwave for an amazing experience._

* * *

Soundwave say quietly and patiently on the couch in the large empty waiting room. The plush cushions were so soft that he felt like he was almost melting against them. Though no one was in there or passing by he almost seemed embarrassed if someone were to come by and notice his friends who took their comfort around him. Ravage who was laying on his lap was purring softly like any normal cybercat would as he was groomed and petted by the blue mech, Laserbeak was happily perched on his shoulder, however Buzzsaw was gliding around the room not really liking the idea of staying in the same spot for too long, it almost seemed like the orange bird was paranoid or something, but he couldn't blame him if he was or not.

Senator Ratbat after all was a very scary serious mech when it came down to business, even to them. And they continued to wait. When Shockwave finally entered the room he nearly inquired his presence-but his EM field was spiralling with joy as he looked at Soundwave-normally he were to be messaged he had the orbit free, but his actual presence here was one much of a surprise. Did that mean he was literally going to chaperone him around the city personally? That was really kind of him...

"You ready to go?" Shockwave beamed brightly as he asked his question, a happy grin was plastered onto his face plates and the younger mech got up as soon as Ravage had leaped off from his comfortable spot on his lap. Laserbeak still remained perched on his shoulder like he hadn't moved at all and he nodded his response to the purple white trimmed mech, but he took much more notice to Buzzsaw who was gliding in circles around them. "Alrighty then, let's go!" And he headed off in a happy march, the younger bots following close behind quietly.

_ Okay, so maybe they're a little bit more than just shy._

* * *

"Yo! I'm Windcharger and Mr. In Kind Theoretician reading a datapad over there is Skids." Windcharger beamed happily as he introduced himself and Skids to the group of four. Naturally the duo would have been a quad as well but Trailbreaker was once again out of town visiting his friend in Helex again, and then Glitch was getting his CPU processor waves monitored again for some odd reason they had forgotten. Shockwave had to leave though so they couldn't be a trio seeing how he had to leave to get with some business with Orion PAx over another crime but it was nothing too major so they didn't need to take the reigns and have their secret "_special ops_" again. And even though he had just introduced them Soundwave still remained silent along with his buddies, only returning him with a small wave. _Shy huh? Okay, we can work with that one_, the Levitator thought. "So, you got any interests? Maybe favorite sports? How about games? Wanna go to a museum and see what they got?" He questioned and the blue mech looked at the floor and rubbed his left arm as if he were thinking or being overwhelmed by the many questions and options he was being given.

"W-Well...I...I really don't mind what we do actually..." Soundwave finally answered after a few kliks and Windcharger almost looked like he was bummed out.

"Hey now, come on mech, don't need to be shy. We don't mind if you wanna discussion on what we're gonna do, we don't wanna take the fun out of it." Windcharger reassured him and he almost looked like he smiled as he was really being given a real opportunity to having his own choice about something. "Anything ya want really, and don't worry if ya wanna buy something we got plenty of money so don't worry about the cost of what you might like. We can afford to get ya a souvenir or two." Now that was something that had completely brightened the young mech up, hearing that he was able to get something did the trick all right. After all it wasn't everyday he was allowed to buy stuff and Ratbat rarely gave him gifts, so that was something that had interested him in the most ways that he was actually excited.

"Hmm, I wanna assume you seem like the one who has a high interest in music. We can go to an audio store if you would like." Skids suggested as he looked up from his datapad.

"Can we?" Soundwave asked and Windcharger motioned him with a smile to continue on. "Go to the audio store?"

"Sure thing." Windcharger grinned and Soundwave was overflowing with excitement, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw squawked happily noticing this and Ravage nodded his head in approval.

* * *

The shopping had been long but it wasn't dreadful as it had lasted almost the entire orbit, but they didn't mind as long as they saw the blue mech happy and marry along with his friends. Pit, they even lost count of all the store they had gone to and how many audio disc Soundwave had purchased-actually they bought them, but it still counts on his accord unless statused upon being a gift-before he had finally tired out and decided it was for best intentions that he was going to retire and head home since he still had lot of work for the joors of the next orbit. And there they still were walking home in the rain not even bothering about thinking of driving, the roadways were pretty slick, though it was nothing compared to what they had heard about ice and what the scientists say in their discovery about being able to freeze the water down that cold. Though the water was pouring down on them in this silent storm and since they were out in it all orbit, no doubt about it, but they're definitely going to have a few days of core fever. But it was going to be all worth it.

"Hey Skids?" Windcharger said out of the blue as they continued to walk and the slightly short mech gave him a look. "I'm blaming you for not buying an umbrella." Skids rolled his optics.

"Oh sure, because I wasn't the one who said; 'no way! I can't get core fever, my systems are too immune for that!', am I correct? Or should I play the evidence?" Skids commented a bit snarky and the Levitator palmed his face with a long groan.

"I hate you sometimes..." Windcharger muttered.

"It's why we're friends." Skids snickered.


	13. A Medic Named Ratchet

_** -Chapter 13-**_

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** A/N: So, in the many RPs I did with my bestest friend in all the world Shane, we did a come up that Transformers can get illness naturally, so we made up something known as "Core Fever" which is sorta like a cold and fever in speaking sense along with Core Illness which is like the flu, so those will most definitely be in this chapter :) Also probably gonna make up medicines XDD And this chapter only makes sense since its a coincidence that I got a cold :P**

** Guest Starring: Ratchet, Drift(briefly-cameo), and Gasket(briefly-cameo)**

* * *

He really wasn't feeling all that dandy that morning and in fact, he honestly felt like his spark's core was burning right through him and he felt ablaze along with his EM field pulsing, and surely felt that there was a chance that the orbed life force inside him was going to burn its way right out of his chassis. But then again, he didn't want to think like that at the moment, so he just assumed that he was just a little sick and it wasn't anything major, which wasn't entirely bad right? Well that's what he hoped for anyways, just a small fever. Maybe he'd better go and see how Skids was doing, maybe the blue black mech was really sick along with him, then he'd feel a little guilty for getting him ill as well. Rolling onto his side he noticed he really didn't have to get up to go look for the trainee Theoretician. The slightly short mech was still curled up in a ball while facing the wall, his back to him like always, and a blanket was draped over him from the prior night, and well it was sort of...Adorable, seeing him defenseless like that and all. Skids was a pretty tough mech even for his age and one that was quite serious at it too, but while recharging the way he was, well he seemed more like the young spark he really is, and really, it was cute.

_ Not weird at all thinking those thoughts Windcharger, you're strange..._

"Hey Skids?" He said somewhat above a whisper but he was given no sort of response or action that indicated that the other bot had heard him, so he decided to try again but this time a little louder. "Skids." This time the mech just curled up even more with a quiet groan of disapproval, a thing he wasn't seen doing very often and this was always his way of telling someone to leave him alone, but at this rate he'd never know if the other mech was sick or not, he couldn't read his EM because his was too fuzzy from the heat of his own fever. But he still had to try! Crawling off his berth and dizzily walking over he plopped himself down to be sitting down right next to the blue black mech's berth and he began to poke at him, the slightly shorter mech just scooted away with groans of objection. "Skkkkiiiiidddddsssss." And now he was complaining like he did when he just wanted a little attention or wanted something. What an obvious card to pull.

"...Mmmwhat do you want?" The super learner finally replied in just a whisper, his voice was ragged as if he had a sore fuel pump cable in this throat or something. "Go away, I'm tired..." But he was continued to be nudged from behind anyways and realizing that he knew Windcharger wasn't going to stop until he was given what he wanted to sighed and rolled over. Honestly, he didn't overly feel very well that orbit so it wasn't a surprise to himself that he wanted to 'charge it off. "Okay fine, what do you want?"

"Hey are you sick?" Well that was a pretty straight forward question, but then again, wait? _What time was it? _Looking up he glanced at his chronometer and he noticed it was nearly into the high breems of the high cycle shifts of the orbit and he huffed out a short sigh. He really was going to recharge all orbit, but the idea really wasn't a bad one. His chassis was burning up and his body felt heavy, he was extremely drowsy and he really didn't want to get up, even if it meant he probably needed to get some medicine. Maybe he could just recharge it off, besides he didn't want to go back outside into the rain just to go to the pharmacy or a clinic to get checked up on and he knew Windcharger wasn't going to make him go if he didn't want to. Even though for the past few orbits he had-literally-been dragged away from his studying because the Leviator wanted to play since he had a thing for gloomy weather. Not saying Skids didn't like it-though the playing was a bit childish-he always did prefer the more overcast cool climate rather than the blazing heat during the first season, but he really didn't like it when he caught a sickness. "Ah, so you're sick to..." _Oh, so that's why he woke me up..._ "Come up, we need to get up! Can't just rest all orbit! We need to get our systems checked out!" Skids grunted dissatisfaction and rolled back over to face the wall and in this short process he had skillfully wrapped himself in his blanket and Windcharger heaved out a long time. This was going to be a challenge he really didn't want to fight with, not today anyways...

_ Yeah, recharge sounds the best, I'm going back to bed..._

* * *

"Well that's odd, I haven't seen the both of them all orbit either." Glitch replied to Trailbreaker who rubbed the back of his helm in a confused manner. The black semi red trimmed mech had only arrived back at the academy from his trip down to Helex just late the other night so he really hadn't know what had happened in the time he was gone, but that was obviously a normal thing to happen anyways. Though, Skids or Windcharger was normally the ones to greet him back to the "_party_" and tell him everything that had happened while he was gone to catch him up on the daily events or their so called; "_special ops_" research, but the two of them seemed ot have completely disappeared from the equation and it was scary on how that had exactly happened. "I even asked around but nobody's seen or heard from them today, and they surely didn't go out or go with Senator, somebot would've seen them.

"So? What do you think happened to Mr. In Kind Theoretician and Mr. Magic Arms? You think they got into some sort of trouble over night? Maybe they snuck out? Maybe that Prowl guy is being a jerk about something again? What?" Trailbreaker replied with a shrug and to be perfectly honest, he highly doubted that the two were in any sort of trouble but who knows? "Have you tried to call them then?" He asked his own suggestion and Glitch nodded his reply.

"Well of course I already tried to contact them, but none of them are answering and all I get is being asked ot leave an audio message for later...More than one since I tried multiple times, but they won't answer and I've literally been checking everywhere for them. And they're HUD chats are also offline." Glitch mention as he began to count and number off all the places he had checked for Trailbreaker. "Do you think we should call Senator? I mean it could be a pressing issue for all we know." Now that was a last resort option for them, especially since the mech was busy but they also really didn't want him to worry over them like he did when he found out they were at the police station because they had been hurt during their "_mission_." "I mean, I really don't want to bug him encase he's like in some important meeting or something, but...You know how he gets...He'd probably think of all the places I forgot to check and I've been to every last corner to all the four sections of the building." Trailbreaker thought it over before he nodded in agreement to calling Senator.

"Well...If we can't find them, Senator surely can and that's for fact..."

* * *

"So you say that neither of you can find either of them, right? And that you even double checked?" Shockwave asked as he strolled up to Glitch and Trailbreaker who were just sitting there on the steps to the academy's main front entrance, he was casual like always when he walked up to them. "Well, nobody can just disappear over night-well than again when it comes to you lot, its possible-without a trace, so I'm assuming that you haven't checked everywhere than and that this isn't just a fancy way of saying; 'let's play hide-go-seek'." He seemed so calm, maybe even a little too calm for this, it was like he wasn't worried even in the slightest and like something really hadn't happened to two, but then again, Senator had learned not to just jump to conclusions. Especially not to jump to conclusions when he was dealing with his family such as them. "So if you have looked everywhere as you have claimed, I'm assuming that you also checked their dorm? You know fully well as much as I do that the both of them are roommates." _Opps, they really had missed something in their frantic search for the two._

"Oh..." They both said quietly as they stood up and swiftly went to follow the jet down the corridors of the long hallways, and as they walked by they were all greeted, some were silent with simple waves, nods or other motions, others were aloud and exclaiming to them, and it was a normal daily thing, they were all like that especially when their friend, mentor, and father figure came home. And even a few others decided to tag along as they judged Shockwave's paint scheme, criticizing that he should return to the blue and red colors because it suited him the most out of everything else and that they didn't like the purple with white trim and claimed it to be a future fashion criss. But they soon all departed when they had reached the dorms area, it really was a place the students spend less time at anyways seeing how they really didn't need much of their stuff that they packed away in their rooms aside from notes and books.

Walking over Shockwave really didn't even bother to knock and instead he immediately dialed in the codes and the door slid open for them all and they entered the cold that had a bitter frost of cold seeping out of it in waves of notable fog. The place was neat aside from the pile of what the Leviator had claimed to be his junk pile and there the two were in their frozen room. Skids curled up to himself wrapped tightly in a blanket and then there was Windcharger who was sprawled out on his berth with the AC fan roaring down on him mainly. Both their EM fields emitting a great fuzzy pulse of heat and created the source of the dampness in the air to make the fog from the interactions of the AC, which was noted to be on full blast.

"Ah, poor lads. You seem to have caught ourselves a bit of a core fever, now haven't we?" Shockwave said as he walked over and sat down on the edge of Windcharger's berth, placing a servo down gently on the red black mech's chassis and running a scan on him to take the temperature of his core's status. "Hmmm." Getting up he did the same with Skids, though with a little repositioning involved before he was able to take the scan, but the shorter mech didn't seem to react against the movement, they were both out of it anyways. "Well then, you two boys are out cold like a heat haze struck ya...Well actually that one's pretty true. Hey Glitch, why don't you hand me that blow horn that's at the top of Windcharger's junk pile?" Looking back the orange red mech grabbed it and handed it to him, Shockwave taking it with a smile and he pushed back the spring releasing a loud absurd noise to come screeching from the container causing the two recharging mechs to jump up in a panic and Windcharger to roll of his berth. Shockwave discarded the item and put his servos on his hip plating.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Windcharger exclaimed confused as he sat up from where he had fallen onto the floor, his EM field puff out its fuzzy stage and the three mechs were washed in a haze of heat. Extending a servo Windcharger took it and he was pulled to his pedes though he stumbled but he was steadied by the jet. "Senator? That really hurt my head..." Shockwave didn't reply but instead he patted him atop his helm and motioned Skids to get up in which he did so very slowly.

"Alright, you two boys need to go see a doctor. You've gotten yourself some core fever and well, if you don't get some medicine for it it's going to last a lot longer than just a few short orbits. And I was thinking maybe you two were sick anyways because Ratbat told me Soundwave and his friends got themselves a bit of a fever as well."

.::No wonder why he didn't seem worried::. Trailbreaker said to Glitch over the private communications.

.::Yeah...::. Glitch typed.

"So anyways, I know a place where that's cheap and he's a friend and I think you'll like him." Shockwave said and Skids and Windcharger looked at each other before nodding slowly. "Okay, let's go!" _And now he seems more like one of them instead of a Senator or mentor, welp it's probably why he got along with them so well_.

* * *

"Hey Ratchet! I got some patients for ya!" Shockwave called out as he bursted into the small clinic as ushered his two ill students instead and out of the rain and Ratchet didn't even look over as he finished welding up another mech. His medical clinic was pretty much a secret from the Senate for many reasons. One because it was free of charge and didn't make any money and also that Ratchet had been trying to do his best to put all his medical skills to help those Guttermechs and Empties that inhabited the wretched slums of Polyhex known as Dead End. All those poor sparks were suffering but the Senate did nothing to help and there was no way Shockwave alone could convince them to help the city state Rodion in anyway. Functionist scum. But of course, Shockwave knew about this small unnoticeable clinic in Dead End because Orion Pax had gladly shown him as long as he kept his friend Ratchet safe and steer the Senate's gaze somewhere else, in which he gladly did.

"Alright kid, you're good to go." Ratchet patted the white gray mech who had faded plates of gold along his midsection armor on the shoulder as he sat up groggily, uneasily getting to his pedes and a gray tan mech rushed over to help him, giving the white red trimmed medic his thanks before helping his friend out into the pouring weather. But now he was paying more attention to them. "Its rare to see you here in Dead End and all let alone have business in Rodion." Ratchet said as he motioned the two students to sit out on a clean berth. "Sorry its a bit messy, sometimes get a little rough when patching these guys up." The two sat down and Ratchet was quick to go examining them.

"Well, yeah I can understand that really, but I thought you could steer me the right way on some advice about getting some medicine for my two sick boys." Shockwave shrugged and gave many generous signals to the two of them as the medic looked over them. Ratchet backed up and stood straight before turning and walking over to a large cabinet at the back of the room and began rambling through its contents.

"Yes, yes of course. But you could have easily purchased them a bottle of cooling and stabilizing pills to calm their core's temperature you do realize this. So, I know the real reason on why you're here." Skids and Windcharger looked at each other when suddenly a pill was forced into their servos and they were motioned over to the sink to take it. "You just needed an excuse to come down here and you obviously wanted them to hear it, didn't you?" Ratchet crossed his arms and he almost frowned at the idea of _children_ knowing about this situation, but then again with everything he's heard about them from Orion, he wasn't surprised if Shockwave were to bring some of them down to get them involved into a crazy plan. "Well am I right?"

"Well...Yeah you caught me." Shockwave said in his defense and put his servos up but then they flopped back down to his sides in a single moment. "I took a sick leave especially for this one, to '_tend_' to my boys. Well since its right for the truth, I'm going to brief them."

"About the plan? Already? Isn't this a little early though? We haven't gathered enough evidence from the crimes yet and even with the help of my so called; '_boys_' down here in Dead End, you can't possibly be serious about what we're really going to do here, right?" Ratchet inquired as he watched the two swallow their pills, but judging by Shockwave's expression, he was being serious. And there was a long pause of silence and the absence of voices was uncomfortable. "Very well, have them recover for a few days, here." He tossed Shockwave a bottle. "Have them take those every six joors, they should be feeling good in a matter of orbits, I'll go tell Orion about this." Shockwave nodded and the two Outliers stared at each other.

_ "Don't worry about it, I know we're being watched..."_ Shockwave said with a nod.


	14. Sick Leave and Operatives

_** -Chapter 14-**_

* * *

** A/N: And the suspense rises once again! Lol. I'm really feeling much better now :) Also, Drift and Gasket aren't really in the Shadowplay Era as actual characters(Drift does get a short part to introduce Ratchet and Orion but that was pretty much it) and yeah I'm bending their stories a bit, but who can't love a little AU somewhere in there?**

** Guest Starring: Orion Pax(He returns!), Ratchet, Prowl(brief), Chromedome(brief), Drift and Gasket(those two are no longer cameo)**

* * *

_ "Don't worry about it, I know we're being watched..."_

_ There was something to be uncomfortable about..._

_ Who was watching them?_

_ They must somehow know about whatever it is they're planning...And now we're in on the plan...Though we haven't been briefed on it yet. It must be important than._

_ I only suppose anyways..._

* * *

Skids seemed to have finally dozed off, all his recent ongoing thoughts coming to a complete standstill as the medicine began to work its way through his systems once again. The pills they had been issued from the medic known as Ratchet who worked a small free clinic in Rodion had told them it was normal that they'd be worn down by it and he was often dozing off in the middle of his studies, and along with this Windchager's napping schedule increased over the past few orbital cycles but that really wasn't much of a surprise to many. And if it were possible in any way whatsoever, he'd probably have napping as his professional occupation. Shockwave glanced up from his datapad as he saw Skids go under, taking note that the blue black mech was more than comfortable on the plump couch he's sitting on in the jet's office and Windcharger laid comfortably next to him. Curled up to himself with a plush magnetic field generating off in a soft pinkish-purplish glow if Shockwave were to walk over it'd brush over him in a soft wave of energy. Smiling about the defenselessness of the two was the least of his worries.

_ Kids, I have to remember they're still just kids. Young, strong, determined kids. Special brave kids, they took on my offer to be briefed and they didn't back down, Glitch and Trailbreaker are patient as well. All we're doing it waiting for you two to get better, but don't worry, we'll wait for you._

Shifting his thoughts off to the side he went back to reading, the novel was nearly complete and the story was amazing, especially with the plot twist towards the end of solving the mystery, gave it an even better sense of secrecy. And because of it, he's thinking about rereading it over a short amount of time, maybe go back and read some older stories before rereading this one so he can forget how this one goes and continue on reading it without knowing what happens next. But with his busy life that's certainly not going to be a very difficult task. Setting down the datapad he looked at his students once more before he questioned to himself.

"Huh, I wonder why it glows pink?" Shockwave randomly stated to himself as he watched Windcharger's magnetic field pulse, filling the room with a tingling feeling for a few brief seconds. "I wonder why he always does that when he recharges. Ah well, time to get back to reading."

* * *

"And you're positive that Prowl and Chromedome aren't going to get involved in this Orion? How can you be sure?" Ratchet questioned as they watched the recorded video again for the twelfth time. This constant investigation in looking for something different was tiresome and they just kept on watching the video feed, however Ratchet really stopped paying much attention a few breems ago after the eight play anyways. But he was curious on how the so called "super cop" was going to stop Prowl and his police force from getting involved with this and how he was going to do it. Whatever it was it has to be able to stop more than just a devil in order to cease Prowl from going forward and digging himself into a hole too deep from him to climb back up and brush himself off.

"I sent Roller to...'_Peace talk_' him out the situation." Orion simply stated as he continued to observe the video feed that was replaying on the giant screen in front of them, and if Ratchet didn't know any better he would have thought that he meant they were going to negotiate in a settled manner. How off would that guess be! Truly...

"And when you say 'peace talk' you mean beat him up and lock him in a dark room until he surrenders?" Ratchet replied in a neutral tone and Orion shifted positions slightly as if he had suddenly become uncomfortable about the command he had given the enormous mech.

"Okay...Maybe peace talking was a bit too harsh..." Pax replied and slouched back to think about exactly what was going to happen to Prowl if he were to put up too much resistance against Roller. After the orange slate black plated mech could be seen as a brute and normally worked in a more hostile environment even Prowl did give off little threat. Ratchet just placed a servo on one of Orion's shoulders and have him a gentle shake.

"Yeah, that one was your call, so don't come complaining to me if you get the repair bill."

* * *

"**GET YOUR AFT BACK HERE!**" Prowl yelled as he staggered outside in the pouring rain, his plating was dented harshly and he was in need of seeing a medic to buff them out and he spat energon, Chromedome and a group of officers were staring at him from the doorway as he cursed and swore at the mech who was already long gone. Damn, he really looked awful, but that was expected seeing how he had been warned after all, Roller did say if he were to resist about the offer it wouldn't be pretty for the Enforcer, and truthfully it hadn't at all. Just about as Prowl as going to fall over Chromedome rushed over and caught him out of pure luck.

"Unconscious? Figures you dumb idiot...I told you not to pick a fight with him..." Chromedome stated as he carried Prowl to the medibay.

* * *

The two of them entered the academy feeling terribly out of place and honestly they didn't even know why they were here or why they had agreed to run this little errand. Yes it was under Ratchet's request to check on Senator Shockwave and his two students, but they could have easily turned down the job, it was always an open option to help and besides, two Guttermechs from Dead End really wasn't a good thing to find in a city like Iacon. As they walked down the hallways, they were getting stares and that was something a bit uncomfortable, their plating was dull and in terrible condition despite Ratchet's constant efforts to get it decent looking he could only do so much with his limited equipment and their paint was faded and scratched in several places. A brave act wasn't going to get them past this challenge that was for sure. Maybe Ratchet had sent them to strengthen their minds on self awareness and other skill sets, if that was the case then, what a jerk!

"Oi? Drift, are you okay?" The gray tan mech asked his friend who was a bit wobbly in his steps as he tailed him from a bit of a far now. _Oh how he wanted to just strange the medic for doing this to them_. Walking back over he kindly patted his friend on the back and encouraged him to go on, ignoring the looks the students were giving them. "Come on Drift, do I have to hold your arm? We got work to do!" He said and Drift glared at him with piercing gold optics but he was still just smiling. He knew his friend was now going to start walking probably-or maybe a little grumpily-since he had brought up the arm holding suggestion.

"Gah! Let's just get this over with! And don't you dare hold my arm!" Drift exclaimed as he marched off with fire in his optics and the other followed behind happily not even embarrassed in the slightest as the gazes were still upon them. After all he couldn't help but to laugh for suggesting the harmless action on the speedster, it always got him going with burning fire. Besides, only "couples" held each other's arm or servo, and Drift was obviously not wanting to be in a "couple" relationship, he saw him as brother and that was final. "RATCHET WHEN WE GET BACK I'M GOING TO HURT YOU!"

"Now that was a little mean don't you think?" He tried to calm the white gray mech down as they continue to head towards Shockwave's office.

* * *

The five of them looked up as the two Guttermechs burst into Shockwave's office, both Skids and Windcharger recalled the two of them but they didn't know their names leaving Glitch and Trailbreaker utterly confused. It wasn't everyday that you saw a Guttermech who was brave enough to walk into the streets of Iacon after all. However the jet did get up from where he was sitting on the floor for their board game of Revolons and hugged the gray tan mech who returned it with much strength and when he offered to the other he declined, though he was nudged by his friend but he still furtherly declined.

"We just stopped by to see how they're doing." Drift said after introductions, placing a servo on his hip in an uncomfortable manner, he really didn't seem to like the place, but that wouldn't surprise many, he was surrounded by a bunch of high living socials and a Senator in a well built academy. And besides it was a little too fancy for him and Gasket gave him a look. "You think they'll be ready for the briefing? I hear you're sick leave is ending soon." Shockwave looked back at his students and they nodded.

"Most definitely." Shockwave answered know they were more than capable to handle the upcoming event in the very near future.

"Alright then, we'll go tell Ratchet that so he can tell Pax. Come on Gasket, let's go." Drift said turning on his heels as he was about to leave when Gasket gently tugged him back by the arm.

"Can't we stay a little longer at least? You're always in such a rush to leave Drift, why don't we sit down and join them for a game of Revolons?" Gasket asked a little sad about Drift's rash nature.

"I thought you're suppose to be the big brother..." Drift commented. "But okay fine, one game." Gasket seemed overly joyed as he dragged Drift to sit down next to him as Trailbreaker cleared the board.

_ Average sick leave, its always full of operatives._


	15. In Brief

_** -Chapter 15-**_

* * *

** A/N: Getting really better now :D Those "super meds" I got from the doctors Monday are really working some magic! Yay! :D Also very short chapter, probably suits very well with the chapter name. Oh look, we also mention Roller and his obsession with watching the telly XDD And also, very talkative chapter here just a heads up :)**

** Guest Starring: Orion Pax, Roller, Ratchet, Drift and Gasket**

* * *

"So as we stand here, let's make it brief alright? We're going to need to form off three parties for this assignment, to even our numbers on how we're going to handle it of course. This is going to be an important..._mission_." Orion explained as he began to number them off before tabbing them off with the groups they're going to be with. "Alright, we'll have Trailbreaker, Skids, Ratchet and Drift-its Drift right? Yeah? Okay thanks-you're going to be our A Team, so you're going to be heading off out after our pesky little friend who likes swinging those to the east. Glitch, Windcharger, Gasket-Gasket yes? Sorry I'm not really familiar with you two-and myself with be the B Team and take down the troublemaker to the west. Roller and Senator, I'll be counting on you two with monitoring the of the maps at all times please and thank you, well unless you have any objections, than please I would like to hear the suggestion you've got to back up with it. No? Okay then the we're all good. I expect us all to be on our best game tonight, after all tracking isn't the easiest of funniest tasks, but I have no doubts we'll find and bring these criminals to justice before dawn. So Roller," he turned to the largest mech of the group, one who even towered over his own height. "That means no watching the holofeed while we're out, optics on the maps the entire time." Orion gave him a stern look and the much larger mech held his servos high up in his own defense.

"Pax, is there a single time I have ever let you down when it comes to something so important? I mean, seriously, have I?" Roller asked while slowly his servos back down. "I would **never** be caught watching the holofeed when I know I need to be at my station on monitoring what's on the maps and looking out for any locations for hiding spots of other things that may serve to be helpful for the case." _Yeah, okay maybe that was a little bit of a white lie he could shrug off on, because maybe just maybe if I'm lucky I'll be able to slip in a tad bit of watching in while this was all going down..._

"And yet you're saying this in front of a group who is more than fully aware of your..._obsession_ for watching anything that may be able to strike your interest on the holofeed, even if it does only happen to last you a few short kliks you'll still watch it." Ratchet randomly clarified to no one in particular and Roller gave an expression of being somewhat embarrassed about the fact that had just recently been stated about him."So, more than likely Senator is going to have to keep a-very watchful optic on you encase you try to sneak away from your duties to even try attempting on flipping to the next channel or even daring to overlook the controls for the enormous video screen that just happens to be right there on the wall instead of that little screen that you purposely hacked at your workstation so you can kick your pedes up while drinking a box of energon while seeing what's good on."

"Okay, okay fine! How about I let Senator hang onto the remote than if it'll cool you guys off on assaulting me and my obsession with the telly." Roller huffed as he hesitatingly held the remote out to the jet who gladly pried it from the larger mech's servo taking much note to his unwillingness to let go, however after a brief moment he was able to rip it free from his grip. Roller huffed out a groan of complaint but didn't try in anyway to snatch the remote back, after all he did tell Pax he wasn't going to watch the holofeed and he intended to keep up that promise he supposed. Going one night without watching it wouldn't hurt, its not like he was going to die, _right_? Okay now he was over exaggerating himself but oh well he had a job to do and that's what mattered the most.

"Well alright then, now that that's settled we can get down to some real business." Orion responded casually as he ushered them off and motion Roller to the giant holographic map system in the middle of the room before he headed off himself after the others. The large mech heaved out a long deep sigh as he took a seat in front of the holographic projector just a few kliks after they had all left. Shockwave took a seat next to him before handing him back the remote in a polite manner and the orange slate black plated mech looked at him with a questioning expression but gladly accepted it back.

"Don't worry, we can watch a little bit, I know that map watching can be a very boring task after all." Shockwave smiled and Roller grinned at the idea.

"Well I think you might have just gotten another vote for yourself Senator." Roller said as he happily flicked through the channels looking for something interesting for the two of them to watch. _Okay, maybe he had scored two votes._


	16. The Hunt

_** -Chapter 16-**_

* * *

** A/N: Umm...I dunno what to say, so have the guest stars! And also, might I say, go grab a box of tissues just in case…Read it I'm not spoiling it for you**

** Guest Starring: Orion Pax, Roller(mentioned only), Ratchet, Drift and Gasket**

* * *

_ Now this was probably and most definitely not his best idea ever, and because of that he swore that his nervousness and desperation was bleeding out from him in a tangible form. What exactly had he been thinking in the beginning? This was crazy and he shouldn't have even suggested it to the Senator in the first place when he knew they meant so much to him! He knew he should have thought it all out, should he foreshadowed all the events, all the consequences that may have occured, everything that could of gone wrong...And this was one of the worst to happen..._

_ But of course...He hadn't planned it through the end...Not the complete end that was..._

_ And he was completely horrified..._

* * *

The four of them were swift on their pedes as they rushed into the abandoned warehouse that they had manage to chase the persistent criminal into to try to corner him. But as they slid inside the place was completely pitch black from top to bottom like a thick fog that loomed in the early joors of the second season after the downpours of the prior night, this factor causing their visibility to be limited to a very high degree where they could barely see what was in front of them, let alone see the outline of their own servo as they held it out in front of them to feel what was there and what wasn't. This was really going to be one Pit of a difficult challenge in finding the mech and their way around if they couldn't see a damn thing and also there was the possibility that he could easily slip out when their backs were turned and they couldn't allow that to happen now could they, but preventing that from happening one of them would definitely have to stay behind and guard the entrance, but they knew Orion was uncomfortable in leaving them alone knowing how dangerous this mech was.

_ Now only if we could find a nearby electricity panel so then Glitch could work his magic on it and bring the lights on for us, hmm maybe I could locate it if I concentrate hard enough on trying to pinpoint a source of magnetic fields that the electricity panel will give off_, Windcharger thought as he nodded to himself and crossed his arms. Tapping his digits on his arm he expanded his EM field's magnetic force slowly, overlapping the others' in the process and he took note to the single optic that was now gazing upon him seeing how he had notice the extra sensitive gentle touch that had been added to his own EMF. However it didn't appear that Gasket or Orion had noticed the additional force that was continuing to grow brush up against them, it was like it was never there from the start.

.::You're going to pulse out aren't you 'Charger?::. Glitched typed as he felt the magnetic force invading his own personal space reach out even further as it got a little more tense as there was now a faint glowing outline of line surrounding them in a soft pink glow but it was too faint to really see. The Levitator just sent him the thumbs up attachment icon over the chat as he stared at a taller mech to his left-who was no mistakenly Orion since Gasket really wasn't that tall-trying his best to find a way to see without giving out their location to their "friend" on the run. .::But if you pulse they'll all feel it you know, its not just going to be me::.

.::Yes I am already fully aware of that Glitch, but I'm just going to hope they're too distracted to notice it. I'm just trying to pinpoint a panel for you to turn on the lights for us anyways, I could care less about the criminal, there's no way he's going to escape us anyways::. Windcharger replied and suddenly his magnetic field bursted like a bubble and the whole warehouse was filled with a tingling feeling and a light short of pink glow floated down on them causing the "super cop" and Guttermech to go into a silent confused frenzy as they panicked about it, obviously not understand what exactly had just happened and how or who had caused it and Windcharger was quick to point the orange red mech in the right direction to send him off to the panel as the short lived light that they were given faded and it went dark again.

* * *

_ Why had he been so stupid?!_

_ Oh please, please live!_

_ "I'm so sorry Senator, I didn't mean for him or anyone to get hurt, not like this." He whispered softly to himself as he protectively held the younger bleeding bot close to his chassis as the others contacted for help and the others as well. He didn't care that the criminal was getting away. That doesn't matter right now, all that does was __**him **__living._

* * *

The lights had suddenly illuminated the room as they flashed online, blinding them all temporarily but the whiteness soon passed by as they rubbed their optics for a clearer image to pass down the dizziness. Once their sight was fully restore they all looked around, the place was littered with large metal creates and old dusty equipments that hadn't been used for what seemed to be a vorn or so, but right now they could care less about that, it was time to get back to the hunt, the investigation must go one and they must succeed in their mission. Heading forward into the maze of creates they knew that little pest couldn't have been able to run off too far and most likely was hiding right now, because honestly, if they couldn't see then how would it have been any different for him? Well unless he had some sort of night vision tech but they highly doubted it.

"Alright, let's get moving." Orion said leading the way.

* * *

Fighting obviously didn't seem like it was a normal thing for any Guttermech like him to be really good at exactly due to well, living on the streets and having no home and nothing to practice off of, but he was pretty good at it when he was completely sober and could understand all the paths to his surroundings. After all, there was all sorts of mechs out there and you don't want to be out of it all the time in where they could just abuse the frag out of you, it was really annoying and terrifying, it was only logical that he would learn to defend himself. And that's exactly what he was doing right now, defending himself against this crazy psycho killer they had been sent after, but he seemed to focus more on those academy students than himself and Ratchet. He knew Ratchet could get by just fine along with himself, but these kids? He didn't know what was so special about them and he highly doubted that he ever would, but that was fine by him, he doubted he'll even live that long in life the road he was going down now was pretty harsh anyways.

Nodding to the medic he was handed a wrench-not a very strange weapon choice for Ratchet, he was pretty scary with wrenches and that's why he always carried them on his person-and he peeked around the corner only to have it shot at. At this rate he'd be pinned down there for joors to come and probably was stacking up a large pile of ammo with him to, so yeah they needed another course of action. Looking back at the two younger mechs he realized that one of them was missing-and he could have sworn there was a white blinking dotted outline on where the blue black mech had been crouching-and well, where could he have gone. Though his questioning didn't last too long as he heard the crashing sound of a ventilation shaft hatch being kicked down and there was a bunch of gun fire. _Now was his chance_.

Dashing by he chucked the tool at the mech but it was shot out of the air before it could even get close to hitting him and Drift barrel rolled out of the line of fire, muttering several curses under his breath. Though he did have to admit, the ventilation distraction was a pretty good one and there was the sudden cease fire and silence looming out as smoke floated out from the hallway. It reeked of blaster discharge and no doubt their opponent was reloading his guns. Hopping down from the vent entrance back on their side Skids shook his head in a sign that it was no good.

"Well we've got to try something, wrenches are obviously not working and well, can't you use your grappling hook kid?" Drift suggested and Skids notioned that the cord wasn't long enough and he wasn't just going to risk getting any closer than they already were but he could tell that he had glanced back at his friend with the visor and he knew something was special about them. He just didn't know exactly what it was but that was fine, the secrets they carried with them was none of his business so be it. "Well I've got a stupid plan-"

"And you're not going to go through with it because I'm not just going to let you ram yourself into him, speedster or not you'll get shot you moron." Ratchet said in a dark warning tone and Drift only crossed his arms in disapproval to the medic's statement, he obviously didn't fear injury very much, after all he's been through worse. Life on the streets, it was rough. Starving to near death every single day, rough. Getting shot? Well it wouldn't be the best of days but sure as hell he'd live through it and what other option did they have left anyways? They couldn't just stand there and wait for the mech to just walk out and surrender, it never worked like that.

"Well sorry then Ratchet, but I'm still going to do it." He replied calmly.

* * *

_ Nothing was working, the kid needs more than just his pitiful basic medical skills he needs to be treated by a real doctor and Ratchet wasn't getting there any faster, and if he doesn't get the treatment soon or fast he'll die. And that wasn't something he was just going to let happen, no, not on his watch was he just going to stand by and watch an innocent kid die. And if was going to have to, he'd gladly trade his own life off to save this one, because he was already dying because of __**him**_ _and __**his**_ _mistakes, he wasn't just going to let him go. Picking him up he swiftly started to run and the others called after him to stop. But he wasn't going to stop._

_ He had to get to a hospital, any would work right now. He just needed to buy some time in any way._

_ Please Primus just give me a little more time, don't let him slip away, not yet, it's not his time yet!_

* * *

They slowly walked around the maze of creates in a cautious manner as they watched out for anything and everything that may look like a place for a mech of thirty feet to hide, besides in a place like this spotting another mech might as well be labeled as a difficult task. But so far all they were was collecting dust and of course that's not what they were after and seriously, this mech obviously couldn't have gone very far and finding a good place to hide in the dark would be even hard for him to do but when the lights turned on it may have gotten better. just hopefully the bot wasn't an escapologist of the sort, that wouldn't be the best thing for them either. As they continued their search Windcharger let out another pulse, this time it was more out of irritation of not really wanting to continue this stupid hide-go-seek game and the annoyance about this maze, but then he felt something brush up against his magnetic field and he ignored at Gasket and Orion panicked again.

"Okay now I definitely felt that one." Windcharger simply stated as they all turned to look at him and he gave them a puzzled look. "What? Did you guys not feel that random tingling sensation? I was just thinking that maybe that guy is trying to mess around with our sensors to scare us or something so he can escape." Well at least he knew his lying was pretty solid and Orion seemed to have liked the idea he had just randomly sputtered out to cover his actions, but he still did feel the criminal shudder when he had felt the pulse, and now he knew the location of where he was hiding. "Say, let me lead I wanna see if maybe I got a little more luck at finding people than you guys, its like a game alright? Just with some more dangers added to it so we should stick close."

"Well, I guess if you say so." Gasket replied as he didn't even bother to let Orion give his answer as he gestured for the younger bot to take the lead and he did just that, following the strong lead his magnetic field was pointing the directions out for him.

* * *

"I told you that ramming into him was a good idea, did I not?" Drift said as he dusted himself off as Ratchet patched him up from the few blaster wounds he had taken while taking out the enemy, though the medic was muttering things about his recklessness under his breath and the white gray rolled his optics. Though when his repairs for finally completed he rested a servo on the white red trimmed mech's shoulder and gave him a gentle shake. "Settle down, I'll be fine I've done worse." Drift said and looked back as the two academy bots were busy handcuffing the unconscious criminal. "I'll just keep this on me until case closed then." Picking up the two blasters the Guttermech attached the ammo and weapons to the upper portions of the sides of his his thighs seeing how the magnetization was easier there anyways.

"Well maybe I would worry less if you didn't do such reckless acts." Ratchet said standing up and motioning the students over. "Come on, we're going to bring him in now."

* * *

_ No questions had been asked when he had suddenly bursted in through the doors of the large hospitals main doors and they were swift to take the younger bot from him. His immediate reaction was to follow them as the younger was being ushered down to the ER for repairs to save him as fast as possible, but they refused to let him follow, officer of not he was required to stay in the waiting room. Knowing it wasn't the best thing to do to fight them he was willing to argue._

_ "Dammit you don't understand! Let me go with him!" He yelled out as they shoved him into the waiting room and closed the door and he slumped down to the floor. There was silence for a few short kliks when his began to go off and he answered it. "...Roller, I don't care what you have to say...Get Senator on the line..."_

* * *

The three of them followed the red black mech hot on his heel as he seemed to be walking through the maze aimlessly but they seemed to be making more progress in moving forward that was, though Glitch already knew that the Levitator knew exactly where he was going. Though when he had just suddenly stopped they had to think something was up, after all he wouldn't have stopped for no apparent reason. Maybe he had heard something or saw something shift they would normally think, but not Glitch. _No, the target must have moved_, the single optic mech thought. However he didn't move again, its like he was frozen in place or turned into a statue.

"What's the matter Windcharger?" Pax inquired.

"Look out!" The Levitator was quick to knock him out of the way with a powerful pulse of his magnetic force as he shoved the Enforcer out of the way, taking the blaster shot that had been meant for the officer, the blaster shot that was silenced and none of them had even seen coming. And they were mortified as the student fell, Orion catching his limp body and Gasket chasing after the criminal in almost a blind frenzy.

"Quick! Call Ratchet! **NOW!**" Orion commanded though Glitch was already on the task, he was completely horrified as he stared at the wound that had ripped a hole through Windcharger's chassis.

* * *

"Hello?" Ratchet answered as his went off and the younger bot who was on the other sound of the line sounded as if he were crying.

"_Please, please hurry! He needs medical attention, Ratchet please!"_

_** And then the signal was lost...**_


	17. The Clock is Ticking

_** -Chapter 17-**_

* * *

** A/N: THE CLOCK IS TICKING! RUN ORION RUN! Well you already know that he was taken to the hospital in the last chapter, its what all those italic parts were ha ha so we can skip that**

** Guest Starring: Orion Pax and Roller**

* * *

_ The clock was ticking right before him as it cycled him back, and it was all happening again. All of it was right in front of him, over and over again, replaying and he couldn't stop it. Why couldn't he cease this tragic thing from replaying in his CPU. Why did he have to be witnessing this all over again and have it just continue to repeat. This couldn't be a dream, Transformers __**can't**_ _dream...So why was this happening? How was he dreaming this? What was going on?_

_ Tick. Tick. Tick._

_ Please stop the ticking. Please make it stop, he can't take it anymore, he doesn't want to see it anymore, doesn't want to hear it anymore. He felt trapped as he curled up to himself in the darkness corner of his mind. The ticking of the clock continued._

_ "Please make it stop..."_

* * *

Orion jerked back to reality only to find himself still sitting in the chair he had seated himself in the waiting room to the hospital he had rushed to to save the life of a young bot who had risked his own to save him. The world around him was in a haze and his optic blurred as he tried to adjust to the newly found light in the room. Unlike the darkness of his CPU it was bright and he felt blinded as his vision slowly began to return to normal. Sitting up slowly he looked around the room, there was definitely more mechs in there than when he had first arrived when he had been shoved into the vacant room. But he couldn't make them out as dizziness swept over him and his head was spinning.

"So, you're finally awake then Pax." The familiar voice came from a much larger mech who was no more than just a fuzzy orange slate colored blurr to him, though there was no doubt that it was Roller. Of course it was, who else did he know that could compare to the other Enforcer's frame size? There really wasn't many, and most of them he had seen was from the holofeed and he was actually amazed there was other mechs of his size. Rubbing his optics he finally got his vision to clear and he looked around. Senator Shockwave was sitting with his three students on the other side of the room, they were all recharging, closely seated together on the couch and they used each other like pillows and he couldn't help but to feel guilty. "Don't worry, the doctors did come in when you were all recharging though, but the kid is going to live but he's out of it and his body will take a long while to recuperate, he was a lucky one. Somehow the shot that ripped through him somehow literally was redirected itself and went below his spark and miss his spinalstrut as well."

"What? But the shot that was taken was on a direct course to his spark, even if he had moved it was too perfectly aimed to have just _missed_. How is that even physically possible? A blaster shot doesn't just _**redirect**_ itself." Orion stated his question automatically however whatever the case was, unbelievable or impossible or not, he was just glad that the mech was going to live, that was really the only thing that mattered. Roller gave a shrug. Like he was going to know the answer to that.

"I don't know how or even what to guess for that Pax, but whatever was the cause of it had saved his life, so I don't care what it was as long as he lives without problems." Roller noted as he crossed his arms and looked back at the bunch that was still in a somewhat peaceful recharge and the "super cop" nodded as he slowly rose to his pedes, stretching as he did so. The larger mech however gave him a questioning look before he actually asked his questioned aloud to the red blue mech. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere really, just going to take a walk around the hospital and get something, I've got a bit of a headache." Orion explained as he walked out from the room and the other just shrugged it off and went back to watching the mute holofeed on the upper part of the wall across from where he sat. Reading subtitles wasn't really his biggest thing, but it'll work until the others wake up.

* * *

Gathering as much intel as possible he read over the information he had been granted from all the doctors he had visited regarding the status of Windcharger's health and well being. And well, as he continued to read what was on the reports the info was pretty much to be expected. The details on the merged together reports were put together in vast varieties and accurate to a level of what he supposed it to be, however it was really hard to tell if any of it was truth seeing how none of it was psychically possible really. Even in the comments ledger to the reports listed several questions about how the shot had been redirected to miss his spark when it came in contact with his chassis and at that point even if he had moved it shouldn't have missed the orb that contained his life force. Maybe this was all an act of Primus, but that seemed to be out of the question on a high level. Real or not, Primus had nothing to do with this. There was something he didn't know about this kid.

_ Tick. Tick. Tick._

And there was that annoying ticking sound again-wait a klik, where was that even coming from? Looking around he knew he was in a hallway and that there was no chronometers around so where was the source of it? Maybe his CPU was playing tricks on him again, just like it had decided to replay that _one_ memory file when he was recharging. Well there was always an answer for everything and he decided to take a look around to make sure he wasn't going crazy. Besides, doing a few tests wouldn't hurt anyone. Focusing on the noise it seemed to be mainly coming from his left and he turned and walked towards it, the sound getting slightly louder with each step.

As he continued to walk he followed the sound of where the ticking was originating from and the closer he got to it the louder it was getting, and he could tell that there was some sort of pattern to it. Though he didn't know why, but for some reason he could of sworn that he heard something between the ticks. A voice, but it was faint and he thought that maybe this whole event had left him traumatized, maybe he should go see a psychologist after this was all over. The case could wait, they had one out of two criminals already, it shouldn't be that hard, right?

_ Tick. Tick...Tick._

There was a pause between the second and the third and he could of sworn that he had heard something. Something-no more like a someone, he had heard a voice. Someone was trying to say something, something in between the ticks, but what? Why? What was wrong with him? Why was he hearing this and how come no one else seemed to be? What was going on with his CPU and why was it processing these strange signs? Are they even signs though? He didn't know...

* * *

They had finally been permitted access to go visit Windcharger and as they walked in they all took in how the young bot appeared to be in a peaceful recharge as if the incident had never even happened, though the energon lines hooked to his arm and the spark rate monitor said otherwise. However it may seem, it was claimed from many of the doctors that he was in a stasis lock for body to have a better chance at regenerating the inner parts that had been destroyed in which they couldn't fix themselves through surgery. Though, they did offer that his status was fairly well and that with permission of a legal guardian he could be transferred to a certified medical clinic in Iacon. And without a single hesitation about the offer, Shockwave took it saying it was for the best for his recovering student to be as close to home as possible, they agreed with his statement.

Watching over the younger bot while they patiently waited for the processing files to be registered to them about the transfer to Iacon there was nothing but silence that loomed between them. Besides, who could say what and why at a time like this? And though no point of pointing of saying names, Orion felt the pressure of this all being his fault as it weighed down on him. If only he had foreshadowed everything, all the right and the wrong ways this could have ended. But most of all, why did it had to be a bad ending?

_ Tick. Tick. Tick._

"Okay, seriously, what is with that damned ticking noise?" Orion accidently questioned the revolving noise that returned to his thoughts and he had just now realized he had said it out loud for them all to here. Well there was definitely no clock in the room and Roller looked at him, though the others-including Senator-had seemed to only ignore him. "Um, okay...So...I didn't mean to say that outside of my thoughts." Orion tried to correct himself but Roller only gave him an even more confusing look before going back to reading over the medical reports again, the other four mechs in the room still not paying him any mind, which was a little creepy. Shaking his head to try clearing his processor he gazed outside. Still raining.

_ Tick. Tick..."Its"...Tick._

_ Its? Its what?_

_ Tick. Tick..."Okay"...Tick._

"Its okay." Shockwave whispered and all their gazes, even the students, all of them were now staring at him as he spoke quietly. "He says its okay."

_ Who was he-Oh...The ticking, now he understood it completely._

_**The clock was ticking.**_


	18. Absence

_** -Chapter 18-**_

* * *

** A/N: Its really quiet without Windcharger's chatter around :( And in this chapter, we're definitely going to meet more Outliers(OCs my friend Shane came up with of course lol). They're names are: Vio, Trance and Razzo. Wow this chapter is short, ah well, it can be short if it wants to lol**

* * *

It honestly hadn't taken very long for the whole academy to be hit with the terrible news about what had happened to Windcharger as it blazed around from student to student like an out of control wildfire. His absence around the academy had left an uncharastically silence that overshadowed the place more than the overcast weather that was outside. And if they hadn't known any better they would have said it was Primus weeping for them since they couldn't bring up the tears for themselves to mourn over the incident. And however sad they felt they still tried to stay joyful and joke around as they each raced down to the hospital to go see how the Levitator was doing, though, he was still in stasis lock no matter when they checked.

With a soft sigh the three of them wished him a goodbye before they left once again for the third time that day. Any activity with their stasis locked brother was one that was beyond them and limited to simply talking to him seeing how they couldn't do much anyways. All they could do was just sit there next to his berth and tell him stories but they doubted that even if it were possible in the slightest, he probably couldn't hear them. Trudging outside they walked in the rain not caring to bring up anything that would prevent them from getting sick again but right now they could care less about their own health. Though the rain was depressing.

"Do you guys think he'll wake up anytime soon?" Trailbreaker asked to no one in particular as he stared off at the almost vacant streets as the three of them walked back to the academy. Neither Skids nor Glitch answered him as they continued on as their dreadfully slow pace. It wasn't like they were drifting apart from each other that they couldn't answer because Windcharger wasn't there with them. No it was more like they were falling apart because they knew there was nothing they could have done to prevent what had happened and it was eating away at them. Gawking on them to the point that they were broken from his absence and it was excruciating painful, not physically but emotionally.

"Well for one I hope he does." Skids finally answered as they neared home and they saw that his fists were clenched and they backed off, heeding the warning loud and clear as they could see just how badly the superlearner wanted to beat the living slag out of the mech who had gotten away with hurting Windcharger unscathed. There was more than just a blazing fire in those dark glowing golden optics of his and they took covered behind a force field Trailbreaker was swift to generate before something went flying in all directions. "Because I want him to have the honors of watching me beat the slag out of the mech who hospitalized him in the first place." However, the blue black mech unclenched his fists and marched into the large building in an angry fireball of fury.

"He's mad." Glitch stated a little shaky in tone.

"Yeah no kidding, I don't think I've ever seen him that mad before..." Trailbreaker replied.

* * *

Everyone avoided the young trainee Theoretician as he silently stormed off down the hallway corridors as he headed off to the dorm section of the academy. It was know that lately, ever since the incident had occurred he's been more of a complete shut in than he normally already was and he locked himself away from the others, mainly only leaving his dorm for short periods of time to get a new datalog from the archive hall, a cube of energy on two but most of all to go visit Windcharger at the hospital. As the blue black mech disappeared from their line of sight they also presumed he was out of their line of their conversation range that they began to hold up now that he was gone. And with that the group of three motioned over Trailbreaker and Glitch, though the three weren't unfamiliar faces for fact. Becauses, everyone knew everyone here.

"Hey there guys, I see Skids still ain't doing any better about the whole situation now is he? But besides that is he still prone to...Well on violent terms like punching things or shooting things with that grappling hook of his?" A grounder mech of the paint scheme of black with green trimmed plating asked the question to the two of them with curiosity. His designation was Vio-or in Windcharger's large book of nicknames of all their Outlier brothers, he was labeled as "Mr. Stun Gun"-a living stun grenade. The force field user glanced over at the orange red mech who really just stood there with a completely blank gaz as if he been tuning him out the entire time or something. And maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, it was impossible to tell what was really going on it his head since he had no face to give off expressions as a hint about it, and also his EM field was too stable to tell from there either.

"Honestly? No not really I have no idea why you would think that, he hasn't taken his anger out on anyone nor does he makes threats-expect about the mech who put Windcharger in the hospital-nor does he bring harm. So why do you ask?" Trailbreaker answered for the two of them seeing how Glitch still was off in his own little world-or so that's what they believe anyways-and not paying attention at all to the conversation that they were holding up. _Seriously, that was a fast 'I'm not even going to listen to you guys and head off into my CPU to see what's ticking'_, Trailbreaker though eyeing the one optic mech next to him.

"Well you know how he's been acting, he just seems to cold compared with everyone else on well what seems to be Cybertron! Not to mention he's far worse than all of us students combined plus Prowl and Senator Proteus! But I was actually hoping that he'd be doing a little better after finding out that 'Charger's gonna live and all even if we don't know exactly when he's going to wake up..." Vio answered quietly as Trailbreaker examined the mechs who stood both to the black green trimmed mech. To his left was Trance, a somewhat latter mech of the group seeing how he was a flyer that was no surprise at all, in Windcharger's book he calls him "Mr. Vanish" seeing how he has the ability to trick others by bending light particles to make it look like the object, bot or himself disappear in plain sight. And then to his right was Razzo, the slim two wheeler mech was "Mr. Trickster" and he tends to live up to his name seeing how he can create illusions from his mind, it was something really scary.

"Can you blame him though? Skids is probably the closest mech to Windcharger out of all of us seeing how they're pretty much like the exact way you are, they're always together in some way and not to mention, on top of that they are roommates." Glitch piped in suddenly and they all jumped, obviously they had forgotten his presence there since he had been so releventality throughout most of the start of the discussion.

"Ah think its just the absence getting to him..." Razzo explained and looked down the hallway.

_ Yeah, its definitely the absence..._

* * *

"Don't you worry Windcharger, we've got a plan to get him back and brought to justice, nothing goes left undone, we will finish this." Skids said to himself as he continued to map out more things on the walls to the dorm along with the many holomaps and datapads that littered the entire room. His optics gave a dim flash of gold as it was obviously from the lack of recharge he was getting lately but honestly, he could care less about that. There was something more important than rest, and right now that was setting things straight, because the absence of one of his closest brothers was killing him from the inside out. And besides, there was one rule throughout the entire academy and they all knew about it, and though Senator may or may not agree with it all the time, something he doesn't know won't hurt him if they all happen to be in it together that was for sure.

_ Because when you hurt one, you get the rest of them hunting down your pathetic little aft so you best be running if you know what's good for you._


	19. Harsher Than Words

_** -Chapter 19-**_

* * *

** A/N: That guy is really going to get it, seriously, you don't mess with an academy full of Outliers, you hurt one and you get the whole entire fragging academy after your aft. God, I read Dark Cybertron 12...And now I really just wanna-Ughhhhhh! Why did they have to do this to me!? D:**

** Guest Starring: Dai Atlas(Yay! He's back!), Orion Pax and Roller**

* * *

"Shockwave? Are you unwell my friend? Your behavior towards the Senate and everyone else it seems lately has gotten us all to the point of worry, even Proteus wishes to know what the problem is even though you know, he's not going to ask it to you himself." Dai Atlas said as he shook the smaller jet and hoped for a reaction that was going to be one bursting with energy-even if it were to be made of a false energy, anything at this point would do him well to see-but all he was given was a groan. He couldn't even tell if it were one of complain and there was no servo motion to shoosh him away either, just a long agonizingly strangled groan and that was that and it was very concerning to the larger mech. And even though he didn't wish to give up just yet, he knew his work was calling for his attention and even though he could handle the yelling rage of Proteus to get his work done, he could tell that his younger friend obviously wanted to be alone at the moment. And with sadden optics he slowly headed towards the door. "Well...If you need anything, _**anything**_ at all Shockwave, please-do not hesitate to dial up my and I will be here as soon as possible with whatever it is your spark desires to sooth away whatever it aching it."

The smaller mech hadn't even bothered to give a glance up or even give any sort of indication of a response to the blue gold, black plated mech with streaks of white on his wings as he heard the door give a faint click as it shut and with that he suddenly began to well up again and he resumed back to his prior actions of the other Senator's visit. Offlined optics welling up with coolant as streams of it dripped down from his already streak stained faceplates as the puddle under his desk by his pedes began to form once again as he silently sobbed to himself. If only there was a remedy to the pain he was feeling, something to actually sooth away the ache in his spark as Dai Atlas had said. If only such a thing existed maybe he wouldn't feel so miserable and helpless so he could be strong and care for his students against this criss. _His students-no, his family, they needed him but he wasn't strong enough..._

And oh how he longed to know just how his students were talking the absence of his brother. But then again he couldn't help but to feel utterly useless and hurt because of it, how they couldn't catch the other mech and bring him to justice-with a few side exceptions of a bit of painful interrogation for Windcharger's sake from being hurt-and sentence him to a life in prison. Though, for his spark hurt so much he couldn't be that mech they all knew who could be laughing at the world one klik and then throwing punches at it the next.

* * *

The three of them sat quietly around Windcharger's berth in the hospital room he had been assigned to by the doctors when he had been transferred up from the hospital in Rodion and now it was the orbit to do the count on seeing just how long he had been there, slowly recovering in the status of his slowly regenerative pace of his stasis lock. The time he had lost and was still continuing to lose from the injury, the lost time they had distant between them and the criminal scum who had put him here in the first place. And when they gave the final count and tabbed the time they had noted that the Levitator had been there for nearly an entire deca-cycle. It had been nearly a full deca-cycle since the incident had even occurred and put him here and the mech still hadn't been caught? That was unacceptable on more than just one term.

What was Orion Pax and the rest of the Rodionic police officers under his command doing anyways? This should have been resolved by now, so why wasn't it? Getting up from his seat they both expected for the young trainee Theoretician to leave slowly in a sulking misery like he had done several times before from his distressing depressed state. However there was a sudden change of plan as he closed and locked the door before sitting back down in his seat next to the window.

"Windcharger, our dear brother, don't you worry. I've got a plan and I've made it perfect, and its going to affect as I speak of it now to you, and I hope you can hear me say it." Skids said softly almost in a whisper to the red black mech who still remained unresponsive to the world as he still dwelled in his stasis lock, both Glitch and Trailbreaker eyed the him suspiciously from the corners of their optics' visual feed, however the two of them remained silent. "We're going to have to leave you a little bit sadly since we're all in this together, but we'll make sure to report to you in the morning about the outcome I promise you." Turning to the two other Outliers in the room he nodded to them before getting up, glancing down at the Levitator one last time before he headed out of the door, the two swift on their pedes and hot on his heels.

Whatever Skids has planned it obviously had more than just their group of three involved in it, and by the way he had just explained it it appeared that the entire academy was on this case. But to their knowledge that was all they knew seeing how they had just heard him speak very briefly about the plan in front of them, and of course it was the first time they're hearing about it. However there was no doubt about it that the plan was capturing that slagger and making him pay for what he had done before handing him over to the authorities. Though as they left one thing went unnoticed to them.

_ His right index digit twitched._

* * *

_ "I-I'm sorry! I truly am! J-Just please! D-Don't hurt me! I don't know what I did!" He curled up to himself trying to make himself like a shadow, but the shadows were terrifying creatures. All of them seemed like they were shadows, optics peering down on his darkly as if he were nothing like a ragdoll to them. They loomed and lingered, surrounding him as he was backed up against the wall unable to defend himself, the pain in his side was unbearable and he wanted to scream out from the wound that he been inflicted upon him by-by, were they even mechs? What the Pit are they? What did they want from him?_

_ "You're not sorry and you know it. For taking all those lives, for nearly taking __**our**_ _brother! You will pay." A voice came and more than certain one of their's, dark and menacing but from whom was it coming from? Where was it even coming from? None of them moved, no optics shifted, just glowing brightly from blue to green to red to gold, visors, none, two optics, one. Which shadow was telling him his crimes, who was there brother? There was so many victims he had on his head, were these the shadows of them? All those sparks he had taken away from life and sent to Primus? Come back to haunt him and make him suffer...Their gazes upon him, piercing right through him. And then they reached out to grab him._

* * *

"Skids, you do realize in all odds ends that you still haven't told us what the plan is you know that right?" Trailbreaker stated as he and Glitch followed the superlearner down to Rodion on the high speed pace of the lower sections of the highways. The speed only gaining as they continued to travel to the city state of Polyhex and the force field Outlier couldn't help but to wonder if the mech leading the way was even listening to what he had to say. Hopefully the whole scheme of revenge for Windcharger hadn't gone completely to his head, but it was Skids and he was completely unpredictable about planning things and what the outcome was going to be. But justice was justice in a sense especially when it was something like this when it happened to include harming one of **them**. That was a death wish right there but honestly they didn't just want to make the mech disappear of the map, no they wanted him to suffer for the rest of his life, want to scar him and that was that.

.::Honestly, I don't even think he's listening to you 'Breaker and he obviously seems like he's too lost in his own thoughts to even be paying attention to what we have to say about this or if we might have questions, etc...I've honestly never seen him like this before, being so obsessive over something that's this risky-I'm pretty sure its risky anyways-and I mean, yeah you're "_special ops_" mission thing was one thing, but this? This is something entirely on a whole different scale of both scary and what the frag::. Glitch told him over the private chat just between himself and the black mech with red trims and though Skids wasn't in the chat room, there was a scary thought that the mech knew they might be having some sort of conversation, but that was highly unlikely. That'd be too creepy anyways though he could jump online at anytime he wanted and saw fit. And slowly the numbers of the online was growing to the point that ninety percent of the academy was online, probably to check heads up and in touch encase they found anything.

"You two already know what the plan is, we all know what the plan is, its a simple one of course." Skids finally answered them as they reached the end of the highway to Rodion and he slowed down his pace now driving slowly into the small city. The streets were near complete empty and almost void of any life whatsoever seeing how it was late in the joors of the orbit anyways and those who were on the streets were those who were drunk or those who were heading home from a late work shift. Even the Guttermechs of Rodion and Dead End knew better than to stay out on the streets late at night, it wasn't a good thing to be wandering around, you'll either end up dead, missing or someplace you have no idea why or how you got there in the first place and that was never a good thing. Blipping up on their HUD screens, Skids had now finally turned his chat online for them all to see, now stating his chat status as open to the rest of them to message him with whatever important information that needed to be shared with his ASAP.

_ -.::Alright people, time to spread out and search, you already know who and what this mech looks like, its time to hunt him down and tell him something that is completely __**harsher than words**__::.-_

* * *

He had sluggishly flown his way back to the academy to call it a quits for the night-even though he barely had even gotten a report done that whole orbit-with the guidance of Dai Atlas who had kindly offered to fly with him as company so he didn't seem so lonely like he had been the entire work joors plus. And somehow, he didn't know why, how or even he had offered up the suggestion, but at some point during the flight home he had invited the Senator inside with him for a refreshment before he made his own way back to his home. But then again he did have to think about how his friend was going out of his way just to escort him back to his place, the least he could do was let him gulp down a cube before he was on his own way. As they entered the place was uncharacteristically dark and empty, and Dai Atlas looked around with much of a questioning curious tone as to where all the students had gone off to, surely a few would still be up and about, or was it really that late?

"Where has all your students run off to Shockwave?" He couldn't he help but to wonder about that little fact himself and he was swift to turn on his chat to find himself scrolling down through all the names of his students. All of them were online, a green dot was by their names, all of them except for one. Windcharger. The poor lad was still in stasis lock no doubt about it so that was understandable about his nonattendance to the rest, but why was-literally-every single last one of his other students online. He had to find out and he swiftly typed in his message and sent it, awaiting for the answer he was sure to get here shortly. And then he got it, the same answer from several of his students and he knew if he kept asking they would all eventually give him the same answer.

"Rodion..." The smaller flyer said out loud unintentionally and Dai Atlas titled his head a bit to the side, giving him a puzzled look and motioning him to continue as if he had anything else to add to the comment he had just made about the situation. "They claim they're all at Rodion on a..._field trip_." _Well that's some important field trip, if I find out that anyone last one of them even has a single scratch on them I will rip that criminal apart for he was the cause and the start of the major problem here, even Prowl can't stop me even if he tried_, Shockwave scowled to himself his thoughts hazy with the need to punch him and he was swift to type his reply.

.::I'll give you this, don't forget to use your manners in what I've tutored you all in, just make sure to punch him for me a good few times when you find his worthless aft::. Shockwave didn't even hesitate to push the send button on that memo he had just broadcasted out to them over the; "Send To All" option and he'd never regret ever saying that to them either. Turning back to the larger jet he knew he had some explaining to do.

"My well known good officer friend Orion Pax seems to have '_stolen_' all of my students for a crazy tour around the police departments he's in charge of down in Rodion, and it appears I'm going to have to give him a stern lecture later for forgetting to tell me as well about it." Shockwave lied the explanation, but as his Outliers say, what you don't know won't kill you and sometimes, the less you know the better, so right now that was working for he drew out a chuckle from the larger mech.

"Well, don't you go biting off his head, after all he needs that to do his work!" Dai Atlas joked stringing a soft laugh from Shockwave as the two of them made their way down to the Rec. Room for a cube of energon before they head off in their separate ways from there. And yes, the less he knew the better, that was for sure.

* * *

_ He was nothing more than just a mangled unconscious mech who in this case, nearly looked like a corpse in itself, but they had been able to calm and get control of themselves before they had committed murder. Though, he did deserve to die in any means necessary, but that would have to wait for time to pass by and take him away to the Pit, he doesn't deserve to be with Primus anyways. They had scarred him far enough, it was time to take him away, to hand him over, to have him beg the officers not to put him in a dark cell for they will always be watching from the distance of a shadow. Backing off they let one of the larger students grab the criminal and start for the exit._

_ "Have fun dropping him off at the police station Mr. Vanish, I'm sure Pax won't mind if we just leave him there, besides, mission accomplished, case closed."One of them said and he was returned with a nod in agreement._

* * *

Nobody at the station had seen exactly what the Pit had happened when suddenly a body had just happened to appear out of nowhere on the screen that was from the front camera's view for the entrance of the building and Roller nearly took a spit take as he zoomed in on the image. He stared a bit wondering if his optics weren't just playing tricks on him from watching so much of the holofeed in the last two joors, but assuming that the body wasn't going away meant that it was real and he dashed out of his post in the control room as he raced down the hallways to Orion's office. Bursting into the office the slightly smaller Enforcer looked up from his datapad to eye the much larger mech who had just interrupted his peaceful quietness of his work.

"Orion, call off the search, we've found him." Roller said somehow seemed all choked up to the point that he was out of breath as he grabbed the smaller mech and dragged him outside to see and the reaction he was given was a little too settled for what was going on right now.

"Alright...Clean him up and lock him up, there's not even going to be a trial for this guy. And also, tell Springarm and Wheelarch that they can stop their search and call it a night." Orion ordered and headed back inside leaving Roller baffled.

* * *

"And how did your said _mission_ go?" The question was completely automatic as they all headed up the stairs to the front entrance to the academy and at first they were all baffled, shocked and almost panicking as to where the question had originated from, but not from whom and looking up surely solved that issues. Shockwave was sitting there on the arch to the front of the building, legs crosses as he sipped at a cube, reading over a datapad casually as if this was a normal everyday thing. "So I'm thinking that you all did great, wonderful, success, cased closed." There was no objection, no answer from anyone saying anything otherwise against it for it was true. "Good, now why don't you all head off to bed so I can continue to read my book before I head inside myself." None of them disagreed and they filed inside.

"_Mission accomplished."_

_ "Revenge can be so bitter sweet."_

_ "Well obviously we said a lot more things to him that was beyond harsher than words."_

The words floated around in their conversations as they all headed inside, their numbers soon dissipating from the outside world leaving the Senator alone to sit on the arch, however the ache in his spark was soothed and he was better, tired but better. Still sitting there reading his new novel and sipping at his cube, swishing it around in his servo it wasn't long after they had all left when he got a beeping sound from his and at first he wasn't doubting the call and without even checking the source ID to the call he answered, his thoughts fully on the possible fact that it was Orion calling to tell him the news.

"Hello?" He answered like any other would but on the other end wasn't who he thought it was.

"Yes? Hello? Senator Shockwave, come quick. He's awake." The mech on the other side of the line said.

_ And he could have sworn his spark skipped a beat..._


	20. Warming Welcomes

** -Chapter 20-**

* * *

** A/N: And he's back! And we're going to give him so much loving :) Oh look, he's also already planning things again! That's the spirit 'Charger! Good for you! Oh, and at the end I'll note you on some things cause I don't want to spoil it :)**

* * *

When he had returned back to the academy from his time recovering in stasis lock in the hospital he actually hadn't expected nor was he ready to receive so much attention at first and all his Outlier brothers had pretty much piled up on top of him with caring concern for him. He was left a bit wobbly from the lack of time on his pedes yes, but because of it they had all insisted on helping him with his daily needs and what not until he was fully recovered and of course, he kindly gave into their offer knowing full well that none of them were going to have it by backing down from it because he refused it at first. They even groomed him and ran him simple errands he would normally seek out to do during each orbit and honestly he couldn't help but to feel like he was a new spark being nurtured back to health with their loving concern and care over him, it was actually quite relaxing. Though yes he did have to admit that he did like the attention to a certain extent however, he didn't really like the part of having everyone else go out of their way to do _everything_ for him and it sort of made him feel a little more than just helpless.

"Hey there 'Charger, what's up?" Glitch strolled on over to the Levitator who had managed his way outside all by himself as he sat on a lone bench in the south section of the crystal garden out in the back courtyard. The orange red mech had a helmet on his head and Windcharger remember the device well, noting that it was a machine to check the brainwaves and activity of the one opticed mech. It was a requirement for him to wear the helmet for the results of the cause of his major migraines he witnessed after using his Outlier ability over and extensive amount of time in a very short time frame, but it also was there to check to make sure that there was no damaged inflicted upon his mind from it. The taller mech shrugged leisurely and scooted over to the side, patting the now empty space besides him on the bench in an inviting manner for the other to sit with him. Sitting with him Glitch decided to break the silence with another question that related to the topic he had already asked about just a klik or two ago. "So, at least the weather is nice don't you think?"

"Yeah, at least there's that but I've heard its been clear of rain for a few orbits now." Windcharger stated as he stared off at the crystal plants that surrounded and filled the area. Some of them were potted and others were spurting out from the metal ground, a beautiful natural thing to happen on Cybertron that required no assistance from anyone else to occur. And in his servos he was holding one of the potted ones, it was still small and fragile, easy to break but it was growing bigger with each passing meta-cycle, and more than likely by the end of the stellar cycle it'll be fully grown, but who knows it might be done before that. "Well I also hear it'll be this way for the next half a deca-cycle or so since the weather is mainly pouring over in Vos and Praxus rather than here in Iacon."

Glitch had nodded in agreement with the conversational facts of the weather, for he had already watched the news that morning about the condensation condition and with that their conversation continued on, changing off to several other topics related to really nothing in common with the rest of what they had started out with. The two of them conversated for awhile, just letting the time slip past them without a care. They laughed and gossiped, made comments about things work related and what was new on the holofeed, their topics seemed endless as they peacefully went about it. The orange red mech made no indication to talk to the other about the incident and overwise on the subject, Windcharger seemed please about not being bugged about it for once. His orbits lately were about those anyways and he preferred to stay away from it. And then suddenly the latter of the two jumped up excitedly.

"Glitch buddy you wouldn't believe the most epic idea I just came up with!" Windcharger exclaimed as he hopped up from his seat on the bench, not even caring about the fact that he couldn't stand on his own and with that he face planted into a plush magnetic field in front of him. Rolling over on it he was sat down on the ground in a gentle manner and he crossed his legs, still holding onto the potted crystal plant that was still intact. Glitch still remained in his stop he had taken up on the bench, calm and least worried about the mech on the ground as he encouraged him to spill his brilliant plan. "Well you know the weather, it's going to be lovely for the next half a deca-cycle or so! And according to the doctors I'm going to be able to walk again soon without support! So I'm going to have to ask you a favor about rallying up the team for me."

"Okay, sure thing, that's easy enough anyways. You want them now or later?" The younger asked as he scrolled through his channels for Trailbreaker and Skids.

"Oh yeah, tell them to meet us in the board room." Windcharger winked as he set the pot down off to the side with the others as he managed himself to his pedes.

* * *

"So what's this so called super epic plan I'm hearing you've come up with 'Charger?" Skids questioned crossing his arms in a casual manner as the Levitator perched himself up onto the table in the middle of their "Board/Meeting Room". Trailbreaker and Glitch were both lounging on the couch across from the video screen, looking over their shoulders to see the conversation but also acknowledging that they were also apart of it. Windcharger just gave the slightly shorter mech in front of him a grin as he leaned back on his servos and crossed his legs.

"Well I'm glad you asked that important question Skids. So anyways, you know how the doctors are saying I'll be walking again in a few orbits? And then you can't deny just how clear our weather here in Iacon is looking, so don't you think that's just a _coincidence_?" He explained and the others around him shrugged it off, taking note to it but not really paying too close attention to what he was at just yet, but they were still listening either way. However, they did bid him to go one with what he had to say so they wouldn't just sit there-or in Skids' case, stand-and let the suspense build up just wondering what he had come up with. "So, aside from that, find all the watering tools we might have around in the back courtyard. I know we don't got buckets but I want to have a water fight! We need supplies mechs! Supplies!" They chuckled.

"Haha, alright then, calm yourself there before you end up falling off the table!" Trailbreaker chuckled as he and Glitch got up and walked over, the force field user slinging an arm over Skids' shoulder and tugging him close. "You and Glitch can go do the shopping for buckets and whatever else you think we're going to need to complete this party, oh and don't forget to add metalloid cubes to the list to make splashers you here! Me and Skids here will go check out just how many hoses we got in the back shed from last meta-cycle's experimental fountains project and when you get back we'll hook and set everything up from there. So who are we gonna attack this time?

"Hmm, well I was thinking that we should play this _war_ on Senator." Windcharger smirked and the others around him had wide grins form on their lip plating.

"Well, I do like the sounds of that one right there." Glitch pointed out, a smirk in his tone and a mysterious presence in his EM field. "And honestly, I think this might just top one of your ideas Skids."

"Oh? Ha, I don't think so, I've already planned and mapped out everything of how we're going to set this up, you know just exactly how _genius_ all my plans are, combined with 'Charger's over there? Senator's gonna wish he never walked into the back courtyard cause he's gonna get a aftwhopping from us! But since you think my ideas are so-well _that_, you can send Senator the message." Skids defended his self pride carefully, his grin still lingering there and Glitch nearly flinched as he swore he felt a cold presence flowing off the trainee Theoretician. _Damn he can be scary_, Glitch thought.

"Alright, so now that's settled let's start that list!" Windcharger clasped his servos together in the finalement to agreeing upon the plan, Glitch grabbing a pen and datapad while Trailbreaker dragged Skids to the shed with a wave.

* * *

**So I said I was going to note you on somethings, all I was going to say was that "metalloid cubes" and "splashers" if you put them together, you get water balloons XD I don't know if there something is for Transformer balloons etc. so I made something up XD Sorry!**


	21. Preparations For The War

_** -Chapter 21-**_

* * *

** A/N: Well, let's just see how well this one goes now why don't we? XD Oh guess what? Windcharger can walk again :) He's got a little bit of a limp but that won't slow him down!**

* * *

The two of them had no idea-no idea at all-as to how they had managed to it or how it might have even been possible from the start, but they surely had accomplished in doing it and now, they needed a plan of action as to how they're going to get them **unstuck** from this. As the two of them stared at it, Skids placing his servos on his hips and Trailbreaker rubbing the back of his helm and titling his head to the side a bit they examined the-well, judging on how bad of a mess it was, it looked sort of like a wreckage from a large transport cargo. Well okay, maybe that was over exaggerating it just a bit, but really, it wouldn't be a surprise if it were true in that fashion of a manner. Skids palmed his face with a groan as Trailbreaker made yet another attempt to get the hoses free from, well, everything that just happened to be piled up in the shed. And seriously, if only they had the place organized maybe things like this wouldn't happen to them...

"Okay, really this is honestly a lot harder than it looks to be..." Trailbreaker grunted out his comment as he failed yet again at another attempt and in the process, nearly stumbling backward and over as the hose cable slipped from his grasp. Those damned expensive hoses were always so fricken durable and slippery, even without being used for so long they seemed like they were brand new, they were built to last and that's exactly being proven right then and there. Sighing he stood up a bit straighter and crossed his arms, humming to himself quietly as he wondered how exactly they were going to work out this little predicament out. "So...You got any ideas Skids?"

"Just one...But its going to require having a lot of maintenance oil and sad to say, my grappling hook." He replied and the black mech with red trims looked at him suspiciously for an astrosecond before he shrugged it off and headed off to get a few cans, leaving Skids along to stare at the horrific tangled up mess in the shed. "Seriously, when this is all over, I'm going to have a _fun_ time organizing this myself..."

* * *

Windcharger was more than happy as he strolled down each aisle of the larger hardware store with Glitch, browsing happily through the contents and seeing which of the supplies they were there to purchase. Skids was probably jealous that he got to go instead of him with the active Outlier, seeing how the trainee Theoretician was known to have a healthy "obsession" when it came to shopping. But aside from that, the Levitator had been noted to be in fully recovered condition and he was no longer in need of assistance when it came to simple walking, though the limp he still had from the after affects of not walking for a long while when he was in stasis was still with him, but that would soon end. Besides, even with that limp of it it wasn't slowing him down in the slightly! And as Senator had put it, he was a very flexible mech to begin with anyways. Easy to bounce back and forth between situations and never giving up when he was determined to his fullest even if it was a lost cause. Yep, that was Windcharger all right, no other explanation needed to be given about him.

Walking down yet another isle Glitch could have sworn there was over a hundred of them or never ending seeing as to how he had lost count of them some time ago. Their cart was nearly full however it wasn't because they had so much stuff overflowing it, it was more like, they're getting a lot of the same thing such as buckets and Pit those things took up a lot of room! Maybe they should have gotten a smaller size, well you know if the store **had** a smaller size to sell that is. So far they had already gotten plenty of buckets, rope, metalloid cubes, paint guns and sprayers along with for some reason, several large springs and launch pads in which the red black mech had claimed to be a surprise that he and Skids had discussed earlier that orbit before the two of them had left to go supplies hunting.

"So, what exactly are we getting now? I'm pretty sure we've got more than we need that's on the list." The red orange mechs stated as he counted over the equipment in the cart and the taller mech turned around and held up welder masks and helmets of the sorts with a grin. "Okay then? And why are we going to need those things?"

"Remember this Glitch brother. This is going to be one Pit of a water war, so we're also going to need some paint and a lot of masks. Me and Skids have already discussed plenty of things along with the plan and made an announcement so everyone is going to get into this, and I mean, everyone." Windcharger started to explain and he continued on. "So we're going to have a mark on our shoulders indicating which team you're representing, ya see? We'll we're going to be on the green team along with whomever else wants to join us and Senator and them are going to be the purple team, but masks make it more fun ha ha." They chuckled and Glitch shook his head in near disbelief.

"Wow 'Charger, you're surely making this a lot more fun than I originally thought it to be." He grabbed the masks from him and dropped them into the cart with the rest of the things and Windcharger winked with a beaming smile of innocence. "But of course you would take many steps just so we can remember this."

"Who do you take me for Glitch? Of course I'm going to make this one of the best things you're going to remember for the rest of your life! Its my job as an older brother!" Glitch rolled his optic and shook his head and nudged him with the cart. "Alright then Mr. Magic Arms, keep moving we've still got some shopping left." Windcharger grinned at that.

* * *

"Is it slick enough to move out from the cluster?" Skids called in curiosity and Trailbreaker tugged, the first hose sliding free just a bit but it was still nevertheless, stuck in place. It took them awhile but they did manage to get enough oil to make the things slippery like a freshly mopped and waxed floor and now all that was needed was the additional yank to get it free and that's what Skids was for, well at least his grappling hook for this situation "Oh yeah, that's definitely more than enough, well...Here goes nothing. Wish me luck." Retracting his servo he was quick to transform the details of his left servo into his '_infamous_' grappling hook and he took the end of the first hose and clamped down on it, backing up he let the line trail against the ground before he got to a good enough distance and began to retract it. And when everything seemed to be going well-_cluck! Well that doesn't sound good._ He was jerked forward as a mountain of supplies came tumbling forward off and around the hose, pulling him forward and he was lucky enough to catch himself before he face planted it. Trailbreaker diving out of the way and rushing to a safe distance.

"Well...So much for that plan, its still stuck-Oh wait! Look! I think we can dig them out now and untangle them from everything! Good work Skids!" Trailbreaker corrected himself as he realized just how well it had worked, and to be honest, it was actually difficult to explain just how the frag that had just happen but it was well worth it. Flopping over onto his back Skids stared up at the gray sky as Trailbreaker dashed over to get to work.

"Yeah, you go do that 'Breaker. Oh, and make sure to unbury my hook while you're at it." Skids muttered and he offlined his optics, his spark settling down slowly in his chassis, the beating of it had risen quite quickly when the pile had come tumbling down from its placeholder inside the shed and now all he wanted to do was take a break and get free before he started with anything else. _Really, that scared me a lot more than I thought it would_, he thought with a soft huff.

* * *

"We're back!" Windcharger exclaimed happily as he dashed into the back courtyard where Skids and Trailbreaker were laying in the middle, surrounded in a field of crystal plants to the east. And right as he was about to say something else he cut himself off noticing that the two of them were in a peaceful recharge and then he looked over at the shed. The place was actually organized and just outside the door was the four hoses. _They probably had a long and difficult time getting those things out_, he thought putting a servo on his chin before he flopped down next to them and offlined his optics, stretching out into a comfortable position for himself. "You guys stole my idea, I wanted nap time ha ha." He was given no response and he didn't mind it, drifting off into his own recharge was no problem with the gray weather blocking out the majority of Alpha Centauri's sunlight.

Glitch walked outside a few kliks later and saw the three of them in their own dreamless state of recharge, peaceful and quiet out there in the clear cool overcast weather. Shrugging it off he went back to go continue trying to figure out where to store all their supplies until the next orbit when it was all going to go down and also how he was going to message Senator about this without him suspecting them and going into his own little investigation because he thought the thing might smell a little funny. Well he hoped he'd do a good job in getting the message right, maybe he'll ask Skids whenever he wakes up for advice about it, better yet maybe he'll take over the message sender himself. _Ha, like that'll ever happen but I'm sure I'll do just fine with this,_ Glitch thought as he headed back inside leaving the three to collect their 'charge. "Sleep well brothers because when you wake up we'll have a lot of work to do."


	22. Challenge Accepted

_** -Chapter 22-**_

* * *

** A/N: Oh look! The ambush is in play XD Yay! Great idea Windcharger, you can walk without assistance again, you little devil. Hey, I've spotted Senator, he's got a new paint scheme again! Cool! I do have to mention though, I was originally planning to make this into an intermission, but chapter 20 came up and I decided not to, so it changed into this :)**

** Oh look Vio, Trance and Razzo are back XD Oh hey look, more made up Outliers, gotta do it for the story guys :P Now I don't wanna spoil it for you, but, try to guess who's gonna make a guest star appearance at the end lol**

* * *

Shockwave casually strolled down the corridors of the hallways of his academy in a leisure manner reading over the message Glitch had sent him earlier that orbit that he should see all the newly grown crystal plants, stating there was some with some really rare colors, and that he couldn't pass down. The Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology, that was the name of his school, well either that or the well known nickname to shorten its lengthy designation, JAAT was the next best thing. However though, what was more noticed by the population mass of his students was no, not his presence there, nope it wasn't that part at all in speaking of truth be told. It actually happened to be his "_new_" paint scheme that had managed to steal all of their attention. A scheme he hadn't been seen using in a very long time.

He was back to his original design of colors prior to his frame upgrade, white with blue and light green trims that raced across the wide variety of his plating. And oh how it had truly been a long time since he was seen like this, something that was a good fashionable look for him as well seeing how most mechs went well with their original designs and matching colors. Truthfully though, it had to at least have been over a meta-cycle or so since last seeing himself like this, noting how he couldn't even recall it himself when the last time he had been painted these colors. But surely that wasn't a problem at all, this wasn't going to be a fashion crisis in anyways whatsoever to him.

Entering the back courtyard/crystal garden the weather outside was a lovely cool and overcast state. The air was still damp with moisture from the prior rain from the other night, but it was not too gloomy and the large open area to the outside world was full of students. Some were relaxing as they laid back against the roofs of the small outdoor roofed bench areas that were scattered all around the outdoor environment-and how the grounders managed their way up there without ladders he would never know-while others just sat or laid on the ground and benches in the surrounding areas. Giving a very beaming smile he was about to head towards the crystal garden when suddenly everyone dove for cover, confusing him on a great scale when he was caught more off guard to when he was splashed when a sudden explosion of water. Some of the students watched with wide optics as Senator turned his head to see who had done the deed only to be met again, with a face full of water.

"Is this a challenge I'm hearing?" Shockwave inquired in a dark serious tone he mainly reserved for Proteus and some jumped as he spat some of the liquid that had gotten into his mouth out, wiping the water from his face plates as well. "Because if so, challenge accepted!" Racing across the courtyard he hovered to a stop as he slid behind the cover of a roofed bench area. Well that was surely a change in mood. He was shortly joined by several other students and they were swift to paint a purple mark on his shoulder and hand him a welder's mask, no time to explain before they armed themselves with splashers along with the homemade custom catapults created from the springs, rope and launching pads and bombs away! "So, tell me what exactly is the objective?" He chucked one of his own splashers, the student he aimed at diving out of the way.

"We've got to take out their leader-so that means we're going to have to wash off the mark on his shoulder-while we protect you as well, our own leader!" Vio explained as he launched a bucket's worth of splashers at their "enemy" across the courtyard.

"And who's their leader?" Shockwave inquired as he ducked from another incoming splasher.

"Oh no one major, just Windcharger over there who's being a little cheat and having Trailbreaker put up a force field around their command post." Trance replied while tossing him some more ammo. _Okay, well that explains where this whole crazy water war idea came from, he was no doubt doing this to celebrate being able to walk again._

* * *

"Skids, I need a report acquiring the vast details of the status of our team." Windcharger called out his command as he made his walk over to the trainee Theoretician who was observing over the datapad he was holding. His optics never left the information being reported in onto it from the chatfeed of their team and he scrolled through it to gather the information Windcharger needed to know. Huffing a out soft sigh he handed the slightly taller mech the datapad and told him to look for himself. Reading over it Skids decided to explain it for the others to hear it as well, Trailbreaker swiftly dousing his servos in cold water as they were smoking from having up the barrier for too long.

"Well so far its faring out well for us, casualties are a complete minimum low and only a few of our front liners have been taken out. But they've got Vio on their team. Codename, Mr. Stun Gun and he blasting our splashers out of the sky." Skids explained as he was handed back the datapad and he looked to Trailbreaker as the force field user kept dumping his servos in the bitter cold water in the bucket provided for him. "And Trailbreaker can't keep that thing up forever else he'll end up burning himself out completely. Hey, take ten 'Breaker, go get your servos checked up and your spark levels we'll operate plan B till you're up to putting that shield back up." Nodding the black semi red trimmed mech headed off and Skids turned back to Windcharger. "I've already sent out the message to the ground troops and as we speak Glitch is rallying up the troops on the roof to take aim, our top priority right now is to take out Mr. Stun Gun before its bites us in the aft."

"I knew I could count on you to be my second in command Skids." The Levitator placed a servo on the blue black mech's shoulder and gave him a gentle shake before he headed back into their "command post" to await any more further updates and necessary planning in case plan B were to fail. Getting on the Skids decided to check on how the the Glitch and his squad was doing about getting to the roof.

* * *

.::Can't really talk with you right now Skids! We're kind of a little busy here!::. Glitch said as he and the others took covered from Razzo's constant attacks, not knowing whether if the splashers he was firing at them were real or fake until they came in contact with the floor and walls. .::We've got ourselves a situation with Razzo up here blocking our way to the roof and he's tricking us past the point of normal confusion and its one Pit of a fight! But I don't think we require reinforcements! So hold out your own!::.

.::Well try to hold own your own, Trailbreaker's out for the count for awhile to get himself checked up, so you're going to have to go on your active plan B strategy until he comes back and is ready to hold up the fort again. We're going to need you to get rid of Vio for us. Over and out::. Skids exited from the conversation and Glitch motioned the others to get into position to take down their persistent friend. Nodding the others swiftly took aim and fired, throwing their best throws and Razzo soon realized just how vastly outnumbered he was as he was unable to run for cover in time as he was drenched in water, the mark on his shoulder washing off declaring he has been KIA. Laughing he surrendered over his supplies to them and high fived them all, wishing them good luck as he reported into to Vio that he had been taken out from a top strike force.

"Have fun and good luck guys, can't say I'm rooting for ya but yeah. I'm gonna go head off down to the Rec. Room to join whomever is in there and go watch a movie while I'm at it to." Razzo waved and he was off, the others smiling and waving back before gathering up his and their stuff and getting back on track to their assigned position to relocate to the roof and take out Vio under Windcharger's orders.

.::Skids, our ETA on the said RV point is just up ahead and all obstacles have been cleared. We'll be armed with the snipers and RPGs in a matter of kliks, so cover us with the cannons, you copy that?::. Glitch reopened his channel as he unlocked and swung the doors open, ushering his group to the top of the stairs to the roof as he waited for the Theoretician's reply.

.::Alright, we've manned our cannons and are firing away, hopefully that'll be enough to distract Senator and his troops long enough for you to get into range and have a clear shot at taking out Vio. He's demolishing our forces down here if you haven't noticed!:. Finally reaching the top of the building they set up their positions and began to set up their outpost. Arming themselves and quickly putting together their equipment and Glitch called dibs on the RPG, grabbing it and loading it up with a huge splasher before get up on top on the generators housing and looking through the scope, waiting for the perfect moment to open fire.

"Should we open fire for our attack? We're all in position Glitch." Serb asked as he discarded the scope from his dart rifle and he flipped onto his back to get into a more comfortable low position at the edge. The two wheeler grounder was an excellent shot with a rifle seeing how his special Outlier ability had something to do with target locking therefore rendering him able to shot perfectly without a scope. All in the optics he would say, labeling him as Mr. Targetmaster from the Levitator who was their team leader in this.

"No, wait for it, I'm trying to get a good shot-Now!" Glitch fired nearly falling off the edge as the giant splasher was launched.

* * *

"Ha! Is that the best you and your forces got Mr. In Kind Theoretician? Did you calculate your theories wrong on this battle?" Vio taunted the trainee Theoretician who stood up, the mark on his shoulder was nearly completely washed clean from his plating and there was fire in his optics, obviously he wasn't going to give up just yet in this fight. The two of them stood there, a splasher was in Skids' left servo and he was ready to throw it, but the moment he did he knew that Vio would just a stun pulse to make it explode and wash his mark away and probably paralyze him in the process to finish the job if didn't want away completely. And then the hope for green team winning would be at a loss seeing how they would lose one of their most important assets, but he couldn't have just sat there on the sidelines in the shadows planning, no, he had to get out there and help his brothers! "Oh what's the matter got nothing else you can come up with to say Don't worry, once I take you out I'll give the all clear and we'll send in our strike force."

"Yes, I'd actually. You're the fool in this fight, I've never miscalculated anything. You see, I've already uploaded all my plans to my leader, and you want to know another thing? I was just the decoy to lure you out here. You should have stayed with Senator, Vio, for this is the end of your line. I'm going to finish your kill streak right here and now with one shot." Skids pointed out at him, his boosts were high and he did only have one splasher left on his person, now this was something Vio had to see. _Can he do it? Can he really take me out with only one splasher left? He must be joking_, Vio thought but took a step back looking around swiftly to make sure that all the others were really out for the count and that there wasn't anyone hiding somewhere. "You forgot to look **up**. Oh and thank you for the information about the strike force"

"What?!" Looking up quickly he hadn't expected **that** to be there nor for it to happen and the giant splasher that was hurled at his way impacted, soaking him to the brim as it came in contact with him and exploded around his plating. The force of the impact forcing him to kneel before the blue black mech who tossed the splasher between his servos, the mark on the black green trimmed mech's shoulder was washing away and he looked up in time to see Skids throw his only remaining ammo at the mark, washing it off completely and labeling him KIA.

"I told you so." Skids grinned and Vio rolled his optics as he gladly took the smaller grounder's servo and he was pulled to his pedes. "Now I didn't say how exactly I was going to do it, but Pit you're a tough one, if this was a real firefight I'm pretty sure you would have won by now."

"You flatter me Skids, but up against you? I'd get a worse aftwhopping then right now. After all, smaller than me or not, I find you pretty intimidating." Vio explained with a laugh. "But that was a bold plan you had there, putting yourself on the line to get the others to safety as swift as possible and saving at least three fourths of your front liners out here? Very clever with the roof attack."

"Yes, very. But it does all come with a cost." He pointed to his shoulder and Vio blinked finally noticing that the mark was all gone. "The splasher fired at your from up top had gotten me as well, though, I was able to rinse your's away before mine was gone. So I guess we're both out of this fun contest now." Skids stated with a shrug and the two of them headed off inside. "Maybe we can find something else to preoccupy us."

"Like a game of Revolons perhaps?" Vio suggested.

"Revolons it is then."

* * *

"Um, Senator...You might not like this news but, they took out Vio with the cost of losing Skids as well, but...Yeah, we're severely losing our numbers in both in and out of the academy presences. But as far as we know, Trailbreaker is still out from the force field he was holding up at the beginning and we're still unsure when he will return to this battle." Trance reported as he walked into the command post for their team and Senator sighed. This was a losing battle from the start when he had realized that they had Skids on their team. The super learner Outlier was always learning, in more ways than one and faster than they could teach it to him, it was like he was foreseeing it no matter how fast they demonstrated it on the "_battle field_". But now that he was gone maybe they'll have an edge on winning this, but that was unlikely. They now had bots on the roof and still plenty of ground troops as well. The last thing he needed was to take a risk of doing something stupid.

"Trance, I think its about time we went with the alpha plan." Shockwave said and the flyer looked at him. "I'll personally lead the assaulting strike force, we need to get rid of those roof troopers and try to deplete whatever remains they have on the ground. And with your ability as Mr. Vanish I'm sure we will not fail to win this especially since we know they will have no shields to defend them from our attacks." With a nod the young flyer left to go gather whomever could fly on their team and prepare for the next step in their plans. Though Shockwave couldn't help but to feel worried.

* * *

"What do you mean Skids is KIA?!" Wincharger questioned in disbelief at the news he was hearing about his trusty SIC being down for the count and out for the rest of the battle. "He was literally the most tactile advantage we had in winning this war!" Slumping down into his chair he looked over the datapad with all the plans and info Skids had sent him prior of his "_death_" and he couldn't help but to feel helpless now. _Really, what am I going to do now? Senator is probably parading his way over as I mopped around like this_, Wincharger thought as he scrolled through the contents of the datapad and he suddenly stopped in at something typed in bold letters.

_** Senator's got a strike force on the way.**_

"Quickly! Round up all the troops and get everyone insi-!" He was suddenly cut off from yelling his strings of command when he was swift to answer an incoming call coming from Glitch.

.::'Charger we got a problem! I think Senator's got an invisible strike force coming from the-Sevb get down! Everyone will you-::. The signal was suddenly cut off and Windcharger dashed outside and saw massive splashers falling from the sky from nowhere, not doubt it was the work of Trance and his ability to make things looks like they're not there. _Damn, we should of gotten rid of Mr. Trickster as well_, Windcharger thought with a scowl at his own mistake but was soon directing everyone inside, though there wasn't enough time. Those things were going to hit and most of their forces would be wiped out. And when everything seemed like it was going to end, Trailbreaker rushed out, holding up his servos and a giant hexagon shaped force field was put up.

"Trailbreaker!" Windcharger yelled as the force field user was struggling to keep the shields up seeing how he still wasn't fully recovered from the beginning of the battle and this was draining him of whatever energy remained in him.

"No time to talk commander! Get the troops inside! Quickly now! I don't know how much longer I can keep this thing up!" Giving a sad nod Windcharger called for the others to get inside, soon following and closing the glass doors as Trailbreaker's force field shattered and the flood came down upon him. The Levitator pounded on the door but he was pulled back from Sevb, the only survivor from the group up top. Settling him down to a sit he felt utterly defeated and the world was spinning. This was stressing him out, even if it were only a game. First he had lost Skids, than Glitch and now Trailbreaker. Why was he the only one to be left of their group of four?

"Windcharger will you get a hold of yourself? This isn't over yet!" He was slapped by the two wheeler sniper and a spray gun was shoved into his servos and he looked up at him, defeat glazing over his aqua colored optics. "Don't let their sacrifices be in vain! Now, settle this like a true soldier and go head to head with Shockwave!" They chanted all around him with that, and slowly but surely a grin spread across his face plates before he stood to his pedes and he held the spray gun high.

"Senator Shockwave! Prepare to taste defeat!" He shouted and they cheered loudly.

* * *

"So, you've finally come to finish the war in which you've started, hmm?" Shockwave inquired as he caught the spray gun that the younger mech has tossed over to him, there was not a single hint of hesitation within each of his movements. There was a burning fire around him, blazing out from his EM field as it expanded and pulsed, glowing around his being as if shards of the flames, all of it was burning brightly in his optics, and yet. He remained silent. "Good, its time to come and meet your end."

"Oh, we'll see just who is going to meet their end Shockwave. And I assure you, it isn't going to be me." Windcharger said almost darkly in tone.

"Then let the battle begin."And they started. Spraying each other, barrel rolling out of the way, throwing whatever splashers was on the field around them. Pinning himself up against a wall Senator took a splasher and threw it however it was only shot out of the sky from a dart. "A dart gun as well Windcharger? Clever on bringing it, but it will not save your from defeat!" The two continued at it but little did they know what was going to happen next as both their marks were washed off in the series of, well everything they were throwing-literally-at each other. Panting they both looked up. "Well, I say its a tie."

"Yeah..." Windcharger replied tiredly and checked the chronometer. It was surprisingly only in the high hours of the orbit and they had started out pretty early. _Had the war really gone on for that long?_ And suddenly someone came bursting through the doors and they both aimed to see Dai Atlas, the rest of the Outliers behind him a new mark of orange was painted on their shoulders. "So that's where all you guys-Okay forget it! Senator, I believe we have ourselves a new enemy?"

"Prepare to lose Atlas!" Shockwave called out and the remaining of his troops along with Windcharger's came rushing out.

"Charge!" The three leaders called out happily in their battle cries.

_ Yep, the fun is not going to stop happening just yet, because now, the real war has begun._


	23. Just An Afternoon

_** -Chapter 23-**_

* * *

** A/N: Sorry this chapter was taking so long to make, was kinda out of writing for a little while due to writer's block :I But it happens, but now that I'm back and ideas are soothing out a little better I'll hope be be posting more chapters soon :) Also a new Outlier pops up? Yes, his name is Regart :)**

* * *

The entire first half a deca-cycle of Windcharger's return was truly nothing but fun and games. Dragging everyone away from their own work just so he literally had a playmate to run around with or someone to help him set up one of his many ideas for pranks and challenges, but it was a joyful thing to see him having such a great time so they really didn't mind. They even ended up pulling a few pranks of Senator too, though their personal favorite was when he walked into his office only to be greeted with a bucket of water landing on his head and leaving him drenched. And oh how the much older mech only just encouraged the fun to continue on even more by chasing after the Leviator until it seemed like the whole academy was on on it in a huge game of tag mixed with hide-go-seek. But in the end it was all worth it. Pit, they even took a trip down to Rodion to go visit Ratchet, Orion and Roller through Drift and Gasket were nowhere to be found, however the medic told them not to worry for the duo often disappeared as they came and go about Dead End and the rest of the city state own by Polyhex.

Though all that mattered was that he was back and he was still the same ol' Windcharger they all know and love to the very depths of their sparks. Not to mention he wasn't even haunted but the memories that had lead him to his near demise and his brief time in a coma as he slowly recovered in the well beings of stasis lock while being stationed at the hospital closest to home. They knew that because well Skids had kept a very good optic on him during the night and with that he concluded that the red black mech recharges without a single disturbance to his recharge pattern and with that his trip down to Rodion went smoothly without a single hesitation that would have lead to him having a mental breakdown. Really it was a very difficult task to traumatize the red black plated Outlier.

Flopping down onto his plush magnetic field he leisurely floated down the hallways as he made his way down to the large indoor pool room-and honestly, it probably was one of the biggest rooms in the whole academy seeing how it was even bigger than the Rec. Room and not to mention how huge that thing is. Even though none of them swam seeing how it really wasn't a requirement or necessary skill for their race to learn they had other intentions of having it there aside from it being a part to their custom made water fountain they they had decided to make last meta-cycle during the first season because of the blazing heat. Hovering on inside the enormous indoor pool room the place automatically blasted him with a bite of bitter frost air that was flowing around and he took a look around at the still in progress ice arena being built. Obviously the work was being created by Regart, with the level of craftsmanship and how it was being created there was no doubt about it being created by the mech of his height. After all, he could turn water molecules-even the ones in the air-into pure solid ice, however his ability was only limited to ice, though he was still in the making of the arena for the upcoming night tournaments they held at the mind to dawn, always twice. Once at the beginning of the deca-cycle, one at the end, simple as that.

For really, who in the academy didn't love their crazy games at night on a battlefield only created with slick ice? From "_gladiator_" battles to "_death_" matches of free for all and teams all the way to the infamous capture the flag. Paint swords, shields, paint guns and paint splashers to whatever else they can get their servos on. Then of course, their legendary team matches of Green Team vs. Purple Team. That was the whole point after all, the whole challenge and purpose of the games, to have fun despite the fact that it left them sore for orbits on end from the back to back battles of two nights in a row. It was a well constructed thing and it took a lot of energy out of them, though the games were postponed when Windcharger was out in the hospital and while he was recovering, so getting back onto their pedes about this was going to be an excellent and fun task to do.

"Hey Regart, how's it going mech?" Windcharger questioned casually as he hovered on over to the white sky blue mech who perked up and gave him a simple smile and a hint of a friendly wave. It was sad that the bot couldn't speak due to vocal damage of some sort of prior accident he had, but he wished to get enough money on his own to get it fixed some day instead of taking up Senator's offer on paying. Kind mech, responsible but also the one that doesn't want to use other's money even if it were something that would help him gain the ability to speak again. It was both sad and well, Windcharger really don't know how else to put it, humble maybe? "Ah, assuming its going really well then, can't believe the games are back! Just two more orbits and yes!" He was so excited in just a matter of kliks, Regart just smiled at him and returned to work, Windcharger hovering around and spouting out his ideas for it left and right, the other's smile never faltering for a second.

* * *

Shockwave almost seemed to be skipping as he kicked up his pedes as he went about the long wide hallways of the large Senate building as he made his way back down to his office since the meeting had finally come down to an end with still no resolution, but that was fine it could wait. His mood seemed to have greatly improved to great lengths over the past half a deca-cycle upon Windcharger's return and all the fun and good things that was happening so far because of it and it seemed that his spark has definitely pieced itself back together. And once again, he was certainly that fiery Senator who was laughing at the world and then throwing punches at it the next klik that meant business. And then some of the most wonderful news had come popping up on his HUD notifications screen that nearly made the jet squeal, but he was able to contain his excitement and act natural until he arrived behind the safety of closed doors in his soundproof office. Walking in and shutting the door behind him he gave himself a little dance before laying down onto the couch in his office and lounging there with a sigh of relief, once again reading over the notice he was given.

_** -The Mid-To-Dawn Night Tournaments Are A Go!-**_

He gladly read that over with a wide grin on his face plates and to think he was the one who was suppose to be an adult, the mature one tutoring them and advising against such actions especially seeing how they were **his** students and were seen as high classed well educated mechs despite their age group was still young, wild and free. Well, no that wasn't him nor was that them, no strict ideals were around there anymore, Pit, even the curfew didn't exist anymore due to so many "special ops" and "secret missions" at night and the such. Not to mention how much he actually likes the tournaments, highly recommending them and helping with ideas on how the next one was going to go and be set up, it was quite a fun sport to do seeing how there was no real harm being committed knowing that all the equipment and weapons they were using only used the powerful punch of the "_dangerous_" ammunition of **paint**. It was probably their best use of paint ever, not a waste and also not a fashion disaster till the "_damage_" being inflicted upon them from their opponent started to peel their's off.

"Oh yes, the gladiator battles royale in two more orbits and then of course leading to the infamous team matches the next, but this, I know this one is surely going to be one of the most devastating tournaments for the arena." Shockwave grinned at the thought. Every tournament was yes, fairly destructive to the environment they were given to battle on and you would think paint equipped weapons wouldn't do much damage, well they don't, but its the Outliers that did the damage. After all, they weren't the fairest or the nicest while on the battlefield and and most of the time-no scratch that, its all the time-they end up breaking the rules of using no abilities. Relaxing he decided he'd take a nap before the events of walking in on the academy during the two orbits of sign ups, those were always so hectic and Pit, he might even join one himself, can't always be the good Senator who plays it safe when it came to this!

* * *

"You've got to be joking me, you can't really be serious about this! You want **me** to join in on the gladiator battle royale _**and**_ then also the team matches as well?! I honestly think you've lost an important screw in your CPU, Glitch, I've never signed up for both in the same tournament sequence before! I'll be so sore from the gladiator matches I'll hardly be able to move for the team matches!" Skids exclaimed and the orange red mech just shrugged it off like it was nothing that was a big deal. But of course **this** was **always** a big deal! They stood there in silence a while longer before Skids heaved out a long sigh. "Let me guess, you already signed me up, didn't you?"

"Yep! Me and Trailbreaker both did it to so no worries mech! Heck, even Windcharger's on it it! He signed up as well! He really wanted to get his game back on!" He replied happily with what seemed like he was bursting with possibly a little too much enthusiasm for what horrors he and the others have brought up upon the trainee Theoretician. And with that he left out another long sigh.

"You know what Glitch? You're way too excited for wanting to be that sore from all these battles." Skids rolled his optics but he couldn't help but to laugh as the other started spamming his chat inbox with the attachment files of all sorts of high fives, thumbs up and smiley faces. "Here come on, let's see who else we can doom." Slinging an arm over the shorter mech's shoulders he couldn't help but to grin as they walked off to the sign up stations in the Rec. Room, the two chatting about who they should sign up and for which event.

_ Welp, some mechs are just tough out of luck and screwed because well, who doesn't love a good surprise?_


	24. Sign Ups

_** -Chapter 24-**_

* * *

** A/N: Well look at that, I seem to have some more Outliers popping up here ha ha, now look, its not my fault I need them for the story! Got to make things interesting instead of sticking with the same characters all the time XD So help me, God my house is being filled up with all of them and all their amazing abilities! Help me! By the way, this is going to be a very short chapter, mainly dialogue to set the tone and mood since the next chapter is going to be fairly long :) But not too long**

* * *

Now it was finally the orbits that sign ups were available, it was always two orbits before the actual date of the tournament being scheduled to start, all the final results were made the day of the tournament's commencement so everything was a surprise. The Rec. Room was where the registrations were always being held at and at this point in time, it was more crowded than the usual orbit as it was buzzing with the lifeforce of the young glowing flames of the determined Outliers who grouped around in it, all of them wishing to take part in this large come back event that had been postponed for a long while now. The place was overly cramped and full of chatter as gossip was flying around about who was signing up, signed up and how this deca-cycle's battlefield was going to be set up as. For of course, no one really knew how it was going to be seeing how Regart and a few selected others was allowed to view it before the actual tournament. Those who mainly got to see it was Regart-well of course seeing how he was the one creating it in the first place-and those who were going to be the announcers and providers this go around.

Stepping to the the overly cramped Recreation Room, Shockwave was suddenly attacked by the force of all the clustering EM fields from that students who filled the room. At first it was a complete shocker to him seeing how he honestly wasn't expecting the large mass population to still be this high in there. It was pretty late now, somewhere towards coming down into the evening while most times for the registration was held during the earlier joors of the orbit. _So, what is this? The whole academy signing up? I better not sign up this deca-cycle I've got more priorities at the Senate and too many overdue reports to take care of and being sore for a complete day really wasn't something I need_, his thoughts were interrupted when he felt himself being moved to the front from the mob of younger mechs and soon he was standing in front of the registration booths, or, actually, the storage room counter.

"Say, hey there Senator, we saw that you've finally come down to our late orbit registrations. Of course we've noticed so we needed to call ya over here for some very important requests, why don't you come in through the door on the left." A two wheeler Outlier with red black white striped paint scheme motioned him over. It was Serb of course and it was quite the rare sight to see **him** of all mechs playing as an announcer or any job that stood him to the side lines of the games for, he was always the one who loved taking part in the battles, and furthermore he'd always take place in both! But then again, he was probably still in need of a break while trying to recover his wits back from the water war they had some time ago before this competition had popped up again from the depths due to the absence of a certain Outlier.

Though a long break was indeed needed after that whole event for some of the students anyways, especially the surprise of Dai Atlas showing up as well when they thought it was all over! Wow, more than just some things were going just completely the right way or just off to the left where all the strange things were beginning to pile up, but it was a good thing though, he almost felt like he could toss these experiences back and forth between his servos. However he shrugged it off as he strolled through the door and was now standing in the storage room with the rest of the crew as he mannerfully closed the door behind him. A young speedster with the designation of Visoran motioned him over to the back and he kindly followed.

"Well this is going to be some important news for you, Senator Shockwave, you get to play the epic role of announcer this go around, but do you wanna know why we picked you for it?" He inquired the question to the older mech, however before he could even let the jet consider an answer he continued on with what he had to say to him. "Its because we all know that you've got too much work overstocking you already and Proteus will automatically question you if you go back to work all sore and stiff just over night and also, not to mention a possible fashion disaster since you'd be too tired to care to tend to your peeled paint." _Well, don't they all know me and my work habits way too well, what do they do all orbit? Send spies to look after me wellbeing? Okay, I'm not even going to be shocked in the slightest if that one was true._ Again he shrugged it off like it was nothing an accepted to the terms.

"Well okay sure, but anyways aside from that, why are you mechs still having the registrations going on this late? Normally you do a few more and then close up for the night and then tackle the rest tomorrow." Shockwave commented with much curiosity as he peeked out behind the counter to see the line was still so long it seemed like a transportation as it was out of the room a bit as well. Switching roles for a break, Serb took a seat next to Visoran.

"Eh, well so many are signing up we decided to work some overtime for this one. Its a huge comeback after all, what has it been? What? Like maybe two decas or so, maybe a little more? We really need to step out our game so it appears that at least ninety percent of the academy will be participating." Serb explained as he took a datapad from the shelf and started to scrolled down through it, looking over all the names that were constantly popping up at the bottom and also what they had signed up for next to it. Though, even if it didn't happen so often, if there were to be an odd number, none of them would actually mind if they were going to be swapped to a different event as long as they were told about it. As long as they got some of the action they could really care less about it, that's how they were.

"Ah. Well then, I'll want you to send me that list and everything when its all complete VIA HUD Messaging so then I can easily read off the list when the tournament goes into play." He replied with a grin as he began to think to himself. Being the announcer was truly a fun part to choose well for him anyways it was because he tended to be very random about it. Making random comments, funny noises when an opponent was hit and all sorts of other silly things that young bots do. It gave mood to the battles so it wasn't just serious combat. Honestly, he couldn't take this seriously most of the time as announcer, not when they were fighting with weapons that inflicted damage with **paint**. It was in his nature and he couldn't help it! Well, okay maybe that was a lie, maybe he really could but honestly, he didn't feel like it.

"Alrighty then, will do! We'll see ya then or around or whatever!" And before the jet could say anything else he was shuffled out of the room so they could return to their busy work and once again he was standing in the crowd of his family. Thinking for a moment he soon made his way over to the tap at the back of the room and he took out the microphone, tapping it to test the volume and they all fell silent.

"So, anyone want a cube cubes, maybe some snacks to have so that waiting in line isn't so boring? Come on! Make a party!" He called out over the mic and he was soon piled up at the the tap, taking the orders while some others took this as their chance to sign up now while the majority of them were distracted and Shockwave winked at the registration crew with a grin as he started to serve the snacks and cubes. "Come on mechs! Be civil and form a line!" _But like that was going to happen, ha ha, I guess I got my work cut out for me_, he couldn't help but smile at that.


	25. Battle Royale

_** -Chapter 25-**_

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** A/N: Oh lookie here, now comes the Gladiator Battles! Let's get started, shall we? Oh and when I said this was actually going to be a fairly long chapter, I lied lol Its an average size, though at first I thought it was going to be long so ha ha :P Lied to myself in the end**

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"Welcome to the Battle Royale, Outliers!" Shockwave announced loudly into the microphone as he strolled on up to the center of the ice arena. The cheering crowd of the audience full of all the contestants and all soon died down in audio level as the Senator began to speak again, continuing his speech. "Well, its been a long while since the last time we were gathered here like this. So, put on your best show and oh, you know what, no rules since you were going to end up breaking them anyways, except for one! No hitting the announcer in the face! Okay? Well anyways here we go!" He spun around on his heels and pointed to the north entrance and his act would go on for the next as well but with the east, west and south. "On the north wing we have Trailbreaker the master of forcefield ingenuity! To the south give it up for Razzo, he's back in action from the water war and wants some payback! Going on to the west block we have Atrobos and to the east I wanna hear your all cheer for his return, Windcharger!" The crowd whistled and roared loudly as their Outlier brothers stood from their seats and made their respectful ways over to their positions, however once the battles were in the midst you'd have to be quick cause they weren't going to stop to let you grab your sword, axe or mace of paint!

_** Let the battles begin!**_

The first battle was swift to come to a start as they all charged at each other, Trailbreaker however having a slightly better advantage than the rest of them seeing how he could control a force field that can dome around his entire being, it was an easy portable shield and therefore he was able to carry two weapons instead of one. But that didn't stop them oh no, they'd eventually outsmart his defenses, it was bound to happen, either that or he'd be claimed as ultimate victor and be the king of the gladiator matches until next time unless he beat next time's champion as well then well, king streak. But nevertheless as distracting as the thoughts were they continued to swing their weapons of paint, the blades or blunt edges scrapping over armor plating or shields leaving their mark. And it was much of a surprise when Razzo was the first to go, Atrobos that sneaky little grounder could see right through his mind tricks. A slash to the shoulder ridding him of his battle logo was all it took and he swiftly dropped his weapon and shield, fleeing to the sidelines for safety as another combatant took his place.

"Oh? Are you guys going easy on me? I wanna earn being king not being nurtured because of the incident! Now come at me!" Windcharger exclaimed as he noticed the easiness of their hits towards, soft, not too much power behind it. Unacceptable! He must earn it himself! And now swordplay was off as they charged at him and it almost seemed like they were teaming up on him now. "Wow, rude on the teamwork there, but that won't last too long." And to be honest, his statement was complete truth, backing up a few steps he hurled himself at them, spinning his magnetic field and taking out their weapons, both Atrobos and Macasten knocked off their pedes and, _oh Trailbreaker you're so lucky you have that forcefield of yours!_ Fumbling to pick up their gear Windcharger dashed at them again when a sudden announcement escalated the odds.

** "Fifth combatant enter, Vio!"** The four of them dove for cover to the edges of the ice arena, sliding around on their heels and slipping as the black green trimmed mech slid in with a big entrance of letting out a large burst of a stun field. No doubt for how powerful it was had Mr. Stun Gun over there been charging that up for his big intro and of course they couldn't help but to take the force of the impact upon his opening scene. Their servos, arms, legs or a combination of the three went numb and they were force to stay where they were, completely defenseless from the lack of limbs or unable to move to attack, well everyone exact Windcharger and Trailbreaker. Its why forcefields come in handy, they block out that sort of stuff and hey, Windcharger doesn't need his legs to move about! "Oh Primus, I think this might be the end for poor Atrobos and Macasten!"

"Not helping on encouragement there Senator!" The gray teal trimmed flyer commented loudly enough for the other jet to hear, the older shrugging it off like it was nothing, and during the tournaments, really it was nothing. What was done was done and that's the settled final score of that. However he did happen to call out a snarky reply to him saying; "better luck next time Macasten!" and if the other had the ability to at the moment, he'd palm face. "Yeah, thanks." Though it was a bad time for him to get distracted as Vio made his way over to the temporarily handicapped Outlier, easily taking out his battle logo on his shoulder and the other sighed as he scooted himself off the ice platform and off to the sidelines with the help of Razzo. And of course, that's when the _**real**_ champion came charging into the battle. The former king-though it was reset due to it being so long-Visoran jumped in taking Atrobos out in a flash as the speedster skidded around on the ice as if he was dancing.

"So-Hmmm...Visoran put himself on the list, okay then." Shockwave said as he scrolled through the list on his HUD, muttering things to himself and just wondering who else from the sign up staff put themselves in on this. But the battles continued to rage on, Windcharger and Trailbreaker keeping on their pedes as they dodged, attacked and counterattacked, soon more fighters were jumping in and now, Serb, Skids, Glitch-really he finally entered the battle to!-Trailbreaker and Windcharger were now there as Trance entered in next. The crowds were roaring loudly, loud enough it almost seemed to deafen them but then, suddenly out of nowhere when it was in the midst of what seemed to be the final round something odd yet funny happened and of course not to mention it was being said through the announcer's microphone to. "Swish, slash! Um...I don't know anymore, quick someone give me another noise a sword makes!"

Pausing in their tracks the six combatants turned to look at the jet who hushed himself for a moment, the large crowd quieting down as all their optics-hidden behind a visor or not-gazed upon him. It too a few astroseconds to process the full attention of all his students before he jet gave a soft innocent laugh as he rubbed the back of his helm, realizing exactly the reason for the spotlight being placed on him was for now. Clearing his throat he quietly told them not to mind him he was simply making the show more entertaining for himself and they all shrugged and got back into the flow of adrenaline they were running off on. And it didn't even take ten kliks to pass before Shockwave was at the deed again with making his little sound effects to the battle. Surely they wouldn't mind if he'd so kindly take of the mic headset he was wearing. Heaving out a short lived sigh Skids motioned them all to stop and hear him out.

"Okay, well how about we go around it like this? All in favor of attacking Senator and no one gets to be king this deca, say aye." Skids betted the offer up like it was an idea of a poll to be posted on the academy's board and it came to a skyrocketing end as they all started to chant; "aye! aye!" and the Senator bolted upright from his seat. Starting to back away slowly he raised up his servos in a feeble defense to show them he meant no harm or wrong doing, but they didn't buy the act as the paint coated Outliers leisurely strolled on over to him and dragging him out to the arena.

"Oh come on now, can't we settle this civilly?" The white blue light green trimmed Senator asked timidly as he tried to squirm him way out of this one however, when he least expected it he was tossed a shield and sword from the side and he caught them with ungracefully as they fumbled around in his servos as if the equipment was unfamiliar, but truth be told, he was probably the best non-Outlier combatant of the whole academy after all, he was the one who perfected coming up the with ideas of the tournaments to. So, nothing here was new to him, not after watching them all and their fighting styles, he was sure to manage his own fairly well out there, you know, when he decided to join on in, but this time he had no choice was forced into this one. _Well, I did originally want to join..._He thought to himself.

"Civil huh, Senator? Don't you remember, this is civil. No rules except for one important little detail, that was not to hit you in the face, you never said anything about bringing you out and fighting against the rules, so let's face facts, there you have it." Glitch chuckled as he slid over and stamped the brand of the watermark battle logo onto the older mech's shoulder making him an official fighter of the gladiator battle royales. "What? You afraid we're going to kick your aft in this?"

"Well, slag...Fine whatever I'll join in this, but I'll have this as a fair warning to you, I'm going to be hailing king this time." Shockwave said as he carefully took off the microphone headset and tossing it over to one of the many taken out Outliers to the games. It was a bold remark they had to give him that much, but it was rare to see him in the arena and he was only in them during the first few, his battle style was completely unknown, even if Skids could learn his skill set during the time of this, he had to wonder if they'd be able to defeat him. It was rumored that Senator Shockwave hails undefeated-_well, we'll have to see if that statement is true or not now won't we? _Skids thought with a grin. Flipping the shield and sword so the tips were facing downwards toward the ground Shockwave presented himself in a battle stance none of them could remember if they've seen before or not. "So, come and get me."

_ Because there is no way you're winning, not even you Skids._


	26. Tag

_** -Chapter 26-**_

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** Int. = Intermission**

** A/N: Its been a long time since the last time I actually did an intermission and since writing has now been flowing out more easily I was all like why not give them something to do in between the tournament battles instead of just having them sleep all day ha ha, though lots of naps will be mentioned and probably involved XD Just wait and see what happens here shall we :) It's also fairly short XD**

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The four of them laid outside in the back courtyard, soaking in the rare sunlight of the second season with much joy in relaxation. All of them were beyond regular exhaustion and they were aching from the battle royale from the previous well, night and a good portion of the morning's dawn. But they were just a small servo full of the Outliers who had been extremely lucky, for most of them after the event of the "gladiator" battles mostly couldn't move after all the adrenaline wore off and they sat or laid down somewhere, and it wasn't uncommon for them to spend the rest of the day in bed or even during the team battles that were going to occur the following night. However with the amazing skills some had in the broadcasting industries they were able to watch their brothers in the events of this night as well, seeing how their progress was limited to barely being able to shift positions on their berth. Though it was a wise and good thing that they were only able to broadcast around the academy's channels. More than likely if they hadn't been so-well in a sense of determination-eager to sign up for both events they too would probably being laying in bed comfortably instead of laying outside soaking in the sunlight, trying to regain as much energy as possible before their next event.

"Mech, I am so damned tired-and sore to. And I also can't believe Senator is now king! I don't even know how he was able to move that fast and take us all out at once..." Windcharger huffed out a sigh as he tried his best to roll over from his side and onto his back to gaze up at the sky with as little joint pain as possible. It wasn't uncommon but most of them forgot over the long orbits of the deca-cycle just how much paint can hurt! The progress was slow though but he finally managed himself onto his back and he looked up at the semi-cloudy sky. If he were to look to his side he wouldn't really get to see the others lounging with him, they were laying in a circle after all, but it really wasn't much of a problem he already knew who was laying there with him ever since they joined him periodically throughout the morning. Skids, Glitch and of course even Trailbreaker as there to. Just the four of them, almost seemingly inseparable, but that also wasn't an uncommon thing here at the academy. Everyone was always in some sort of tight knit group where they all seemed like they were never really that far apart from each other or seen without at least another mech from their group.

"Ah will ya quit complaining over there 'Charger! It was your bright idea in the first place to join in this deca-cycle's tournament right off the bat seeing how you were so determined to get your game back on!" Trailbreaker commented the truth in his words but Windcharger huffed in a playful disapproval. "But hey, we're all going to be dead sore after tonight, we probably won't even be able to move once we flop down onto the berth and wake up the next morning so stiff we're stuck!" Now that would honestly be a funny thing to see, struggling to move but so sore and stiff that they were like statues, why not? It was a pretty rare thing and most of the time only about four or five percent of the Outliers took place in both events and once you're signed up, there's no going back! However he did laugh at the comment. Offlining his optics he let the warmth of Alpha Centauri's sunlight flow down onto his frame in bliss.

Though the peace between the four of them didn't seem to last too long when suddenly-why did it always have to be cold?-they were all doused in the bitter cold bucket of water being dumped in their faces and a laugh following as they all jolted and jumped up to get away. Well everyone except for Trailbreaker anyways, there was a force field around him to block off the water and that made them think it was his idea in the first place so of course he was prepared! Shaking themselves off their glared at Shockwave who smiled and discarded of the bucket he was holding and suddenly they all felt like their were reenergized to the max, the stiffness and aching of their joints fled their minds and bodies as a new adrenaline began to flow through them. Trailbreaker still laying there basking in the sunlight while the three of them remained drenched, oh and they were so going to get him back for this one! And out of nowhere Skids was tapped on the nose and his datapad was taken from him as the jet hovered around in front of them.

"Boop! Stop studying Skids you need to take a break and also I see you're definitely going to want this back, well too bad, you're going to have to catch me if you can because, tag you're it!" Senator grinned as he rocketed across the courtyard with a silly look on his faceplates now as the super learner began chasing him, yelling him to hand it over. However they knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon and suddenly, Windcharger was holding the device, the blue black mech making his way over to him now. _A game of tag? Sounds fun, why not?_ Scrambling away they tossed his datapad around to one another, now ignoring Trailbreaker who had fallen asleep in the middle of the courtyard as they ran back and forth avoiding the super learner at all costs and then came the infamous grappling hook, snatching onto Glitch's arm and he was tugged over saying; "nooooooooo!" as if he were doomed. The grappling hook unlatched from his arm and the datapad was taken from him as he finally reached Skids and then he was patted on the helm.

"Tag, you're it." And now even he was running away from the orange red mech who ranted about it all not being fair on his end as he started to run around randomly chasing whomever just happened to be the closest to him. All of them were laughing as they made sure not to trip over their sleeping brother in the middle of well, yeah the middle of their playground circle however it eventually did happen, only to trip over the forcefield bubbled around him and taking a face plant into the cold ground. Surprising Trailbreaker still remained undisturbed and they couldn't help but to wonder if they should start poking at him to make sure he wasn't out of it for too long.

"Owch, that looks like that one hurt, are you okay Glitch?" Shockwave asked as he hovered on over and crouched down to the younger only to be lightly tapped on the nose from a single claw.

"Tag...You're it..." Well, at least he had determination and that's what counted, giving a bubbly laugh he helped the younger up and they all plopped down on the ground, now adding a fifth member to their circle as they laid there. "So, how do you like being king Senator?"

"Sometimes I wonder if you mechs ever learn that I don't mind not being called the title you know, Shockwave is just fine. But anyways, being king isn't all that bad. Not my first but definitely was expecting the last time to be my last." He replied and he stared up at the sky, stretching out only to find himself talking to himself and he sat up just to make sure since he was given no sort of response. "Ah! Are you serious? Now who am I going to play tag with?" He complained to himself as he noticed them all fast asleep but he rolled his optics seeing how his little reaction did nothing to stir them even in the slightest. "Oh well, its nap time anyways according to the chrono." Flopping back down he got comfy before joining them in their dreamless world.


End file.
